"Jesus is Back!" Sharing the 5-Minute Cross--poetry by Adolph Caso...

The Five Minute Cross

By Adolph Caso

Sitting trance-like

In my hospital chair

I glance at the architecture outside

Enveloped by the blue color of the sky,

Creating and recreating itself

Into forms which are never the same,

Just like two snow-flakes falling to the ground.

The door bell rings.

My nurse turns towards me,

Her hand stretching forward

To welcome me into her world--

Her belly bulging!

“How many more months…?”

Not giving her a chance to answer,

I extend my hand as I always do,

Over the baby yet to be born:

And,

With this humble hand,

I bless it.

On placing her hand over mine--

Two individuals,

Of two races,

Become two humans

Together

Into one.

With the exception

Of receiving news

On her delivery day,

I continue to glance thru the pristine window.

Once again,

My eyes follow

The contours of the gray building

In a mismatch of sizes and shapes

Having no order or designs

And

Defying my presence

They all stand still.

Suddenly, from the East,

Two thick lines of gray air

Begin to fill the sky above the buildings

Bulkier to its extreme left,

One line extends itself east to west,

The other,  north to south.

They are

Thick and solid to the left--

And lighter to the right,

Its left outline strong and thick,

Its right line evanescent

As if I were watching

A Renaissance artist

Create the image on canvas;

And

I look at its large and white frame

Inject itself into the solid blue of a receptive sky.

Phone in hand,

I call my nurse to come back--

The digital clock registering 4:25,

I wait to see time moving on.

Finally, just as the clock is reaching 4:30,

She rushes in with a flustered look on her face

“Are you alright?” she blurts out.

Clutching her hand, I take her to the window.

“There, look: it’s about to disappear.”

Her eyes fixed on the phenomenon cross,

She squeezes my hand.

As the last part of the cross’ outline

Is about to disappear into the deep blue sky.

It is exactly 4:30.

Her mouth open,

She turns toward me:

“Jesus is back, “she asserts,

And quickly leaves the room.

Sitting on my hospital chair,

I ask myself in disbelief:

“What has just happened?”

Adolfo