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I'm Only Asking
by Kristina Woodhillsee
I dont get
why
you asked
your best friend
to betray
you
or so its rumored
if you
knew
you had to die
why did you
ask those
around
you
to
assist your
suicide
would not
a nobler
end
have been
to freely
leave
this world
by your
own
hand
a sacrifice
freely
given
not taken
by
some
seething
violent
mob
why
all the
histrionics
anyway
is
martyrdom
the
only thing
we accept
as
sacrifice
with value
if I jumped
off a cliff
knowing
it would
save
my child,
with no
visible
danger
in sight,
would he
still feel
saved
Im only asking
05/09/2006 Author's Note: After eight interesting comments about this poem I felt I should clarify a few points. This originally began as a questioning of Christ by me and the debate whether Judas was asked by Him to betray Christ or whether he did it of his own accord for some paltry amount of silver. If Christ knew he was to die, would his sacrifice have been of any less value if he had told his followers that he was sent to die for them, and then taken his own life in a symbolic, reverential manner? Was his death as a martyr any more meaningful than that might have been? The poem then broadens to a general question about our thoughts about self sacrifice vs. martyrdom. I like Peter Humphrey's last comment - "How about giving life?"
Posted on 05/09/2006
Copyright © 2024 Kristina Woodhill
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Joan Serratelli on 05/09/06 at 04:32 PM A very thoughtful piece on a very sensitive topic."is martyrdom/the /only thing/we accept/as /sacrifice/with value". That's definitely a thought to ponder. Very well done; interesting read- thanks! |
| Posted by Gregory O'Neill on 05/09/06 at 07:11 PM Hi Kristina. Great example of a thoughtful rant.I don't think he'd feel saved. He is a child after all...but then the subject matter doesn't much concern itself with those left behind. And that's unfortunate. Great write. |
| Posted by Elizabeth Jill on 05/11/06 at 04:14 AM I feel speechless under this powerful poem, Kristina another deep poem from you that thuds my mind. You, my friend...this poem.
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| Posted by Kristi Paik on 05/11/06 at 05:22 PM Kristina...nicely done. Very touching in a unique way :) |
| Posted by Peter Humphreys on 05/13/06 at 09:37 AM This is a brilliant piece. The questions are so real at a personal level as well as the way we see the world developing now where too many people see martyrdom as the only thing we accept
as sacrifice with value. How about giving life?
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| Posted by David Hill on 05/13/06 at 11:46 PM I sometimes wonder how submerging one's self in violence and drama is supposed to teach anyone how to live this life. It makes for a better movie, I suppose. |
| Posted by Kyle Anne Kish on 09/28/06 at 05:09 PM What is martyrdom? This piece truly asks the question on a delicate topic. Our minds seeks answers where no answers lie. I loved how you developed this poem, Kristina, and your question truly hits home with me. |
| Posted by Philip F De Pinto on 12/06/06 at 12:16 PM I have been pondering this very dilemma and as yet have received no answers, not there are likely any to be had. I think we value life, only when it is threatned with extinction. I think, saving our life is up for the role of sacrificial lamb it is taken too much for granted that it merely decorous. I think we value life only as we can feel suffering and in so saying I think we overlook joy, the joi di vivre that customarily accompanies each life. So here is to life and leave sacrificing to the gods sacrificing themselves to us for a change. |
| Posted by Susan Q Tomas on 08/13/07 at 05:23 PM I am so glad I read this. I know in the bible, Judas is the scape goat. But his betrayal
was necessary. It was part of how it was all to happen. And the apostles chose another apostle - Matthias - in Acts. But they had to, Judas was dead. In my humble theological opinion, Jesus was not a martyr. Why did God sacrifice his only begotten son is part of the mystery. But Jesus was human, he had to die as we all do. Yes he was tortured and murdered. But if you focus on the resurrection, it makes his crucifixion just a part of the whole story. |
| Posted by Alison McKenzie on 07/18/08 at 05:06 PM Perhaps the necessary ingredients for this particular sacrafice might have needed that betrayal, to reach some who might not otherwise have been reachable. And I've pondered the following "what if": what if we are all meant to come in groups, and, before we are born, we all decide (or it is decided for us perhaps) that a particular lesson is to be had from our experiences. And so, in each scenario, each of us must play a part. What if Judas volunteered, because someone had to be the betrayer? But part of how we manage to actually fulfill our destinies is that as we become physical, we pass through that veil of forgetfulness. Otherwise, we might be daunted and not finish. Anyway, it's just my over-active imagination trying to make sense of it all. Maybe someday, after we are through with this flesh, we'll know for sure...very intense question! |
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