Dismas and Me

Dismas and Me			 	
(benignity)

 Up! Up! My eyes, toward the cross;
Lest with straying mind,
Prepare the way to share the loss
Of occasion to be kind.

Let me linger here awhile,
In prayer, until I find
My frown bows to a tender smile.
And hate is left behind. 

If pride should bring my station low
And cause my soul to falter;
Rebuke me with a reeling blow  
Lest I disgrace Thy altar. 

A thief whispered the last kind word
You witnessed on the cross.
Let me repeat his plea you heard
To circumvent my loss.

Sin weights me like a heavy stone.
In pain, I raise my eyes.
O Lord, don’t leave me here alone,
This side of paradise. 

The Curator’s Notes: Dismas is the traditional name given to the penitent thief who, according to Luke’s Gospel, asked Jesus to “remember me when you come into your kingdom” while they were both being crucified. Jesus responded, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” This moment of last-minute redemption anchors the entire poem.