At the hour of the nation's death

MANILA, Philippines -- With the country gripped by another scandal, a Church-based group on Monday called on the Christian faithful to pray for the truth to be known and to say their prayers at the Divine Mercy hour -- every day at 3 p.m., the hour of Christ’s death. Inquirer, Feb. 12/08

It is the mystique in the hour, at the third
of his merciless death, this savior of a land
oppressed. They tell us once more,
and again and again: to keep the prayer,
keep the preying. Gripped we all are
and the show begins.

Or we repeat the same story
told a long time ago
when popes ruled over our pauper's soul
and we were drowned alive with tears
of our sorrow for having stood by
for having watched enraptured
by it all: the procession of thieves
whose sacred and golden cloaks
we gave, give, keep giving.
Include their posture
include their pretensions
to thrones we never offered
for them to sit on
and decree deaths upon us all.

So now we kneel once more
to the god gone cold. We did not do
enough to warm him, this god
in our song, and our throats croak
with the lies we feed ourselves with
believing that salvation is in self-deception.

We do it one more time, and in the future
we will do it again until we are numbed
until we are too weak to protest
utter something to resist
not even to deploy
what forgiveness can offer.

At three o'clock, when the son of god
is declared dead, the nation bleeds.
It is the same hour
of our dear nation's mortal death.

A Solver Agcaoili
Hon, HI
Feb 11/08