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Please read Miriam first; then Antonius and then Mammon and finally Miriam II

Miriam II...The Transformation

The cup held love and compassioned sorrow
A drop of blood still remained
Mingled with a drop of wine
Stowed in her pack
A priceless gift
From a now dead rabbi

Serendipity had placed her
where he passed that day
Her pack the cup
the leftover wine
from the meal she served
two days before
She had heard the rabble
Their mindless parroting
of words placed on their lips by clever priests
intent on sustaining power
Her way was barred by the condemned procession
An all too familiar gruesome parade.
She stood averted till it passed
Not wanting to legitimize its horror with her eyes
The frenzy howled as he passed
Like braying jackals for a corpse
She saw the movement as the woman lunged
daring the soldiers
Antonius
A friend who should not be here but for cruel duty
stayed his men and kept his honor
Weeping the woman held the shattered man
Mother and son for a searing instant
Oblivious to the hell bestowed on them
by the throng
Wrenched away by guards
The horrid wreck of the young rabbi fell
His face hitting the sharp gravel unchecked
his arms chained to the crosstree
She had not known the target of their hate
till now
In a fluid unthought moment the cup
His gift to her
Was in her hand the last of the wine
To quench his death thirst.
Lips to the cup and eyes to her they locked
With unearthly power these two caring souls
One serving to the one whose service was his life
A single drop of falling blood
Comingled with the last drop of wine
Love and knowing passed in a lightning bolt
Instantly she knew
This act was her life's reason for who she was
The moment shattered
He pressed on at spearpoint
She cuffed for her compassion
Sprawling she protected the cup
The rabbi achingly forced to his death
She left behind by the murdering crowd
The cup and contents in her pack

Poetry by josephus