A Centurion's Lament: The Girl At Starbuck's Pt 2

*dedicated to the girl with the (dyed) fuchsia pony tail at Starbucks!
I promise if you ever look me directly in the eyes again I WILL SAY SOMETHING TO YOU!!!


--------------/A Centurion's Lament: The Girl At Starbuck's Pt 2



Last night (between the sixth and ninth hour)
when I ordered a sweetened iced venti green tea lemonade
or even the tall hot chocolate in previous nights
I disregarded you
Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani you cried vociferously
and I assumed you were just asking the other staff
to complete my order, like calling for Elijah to bring rain
in a drought, standing on barren parched mud
flaking off beneath his feet confronting Ahab
so I feebly (but quickly) offered you my American Express Platinum Card
in an effort to facilitate the transaction and avoid
infringing upon your and the other customer’s’ time
but to you it was just a sponge with sour wine
thrust on a reed and foisted upon you disapproved
yet at the time, unbeknownst to me
so I waited….
to see if your coworkers would save you
cheering your face or brightening your mood
but you were phlegmatic, except for the seemingly joyful brief moment
you made eye contact again
as if staring into my soul. And then again
you cried out the next drink request with a loud voice
then gave up your spirit as I walked away certain
I would not see you again for the night
yet I feel somehow that something uniquely special transpired
the veil of our unfamiliarity was torn in two from top to bottom
the earth of my emotions quaked with excitement
rocks of negativity and pessimism about our future together were split
and graves of improbable opportunities opened;
bodies of accord and synergy and a tentative romance coming out -
(possibly greeting and speaking in the store with those who saw us talking)
their gait wobbly at first due to atrophy but then firm and sure -
and only presently it dawns on me that you really screamed
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
waiting all along for me to exchange pleasantries with you
and forge a new friendship
the tragic memory of your sweet beautiful face now haunts me;
as I realize I hung you from a cross of my reticence
unjustly
perhaps appearing almost devilishly indifferent
unaware that all along you were the divine romance
I hear so many people whispering about
but always fail to recognize


(Truly, the girl with the dyed fuchsia pony tail at Starbucks, was the Son of God!)

----------------------------/
Matthew 27:45-54
Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, "This Man is calling for Elijah!" Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him." And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"