The Last Supper Blues.

[mat james]

It's Easter, that Gethsemane journey, that lonely Last Supper and that tormented time hanging around on the cross, and those
"Why hast thou forsaken me" bluesy-emotions.

"forsaken, almost human, you sank beneath your wisdom, like a stone" .......(Leonard Cohen)

Where were his friends?
Where was his God?
Deserted by all but his women. (Thank god for women..!)

I am going to make this a perennial poem. An Easter reflection.



The Lonely Supper

Such a lonely supper,

All my friends are eating
Communing, our Last meeting;
Oh why can’t they see
I’m only me
In tune with Thee?

Such a lonely supper,

Glancing ‘round the room now
Hope I’m dreaming somehow;
Peter you’ll deny me
Before the cock crows three
Regretfully

Such a lonely supper,

Time moves on so swiftly
Judas sits there stiffly
Why must it be
My friends betray me
So cheaply?

Such a lonely supper,

Me, enlightened Poet?
"This cup", I’d love to throw it *
For I see my tomb
My second womb
Re-birth or doom

Such a lonely supper,

I break the bread and drink **
My hungry soul sinks
Consuming bonds with Earth.
They expect a flesh and blood
Rebirth !

Such a lonely supper,

Hiding here tonight
Lambs, fat with fright ***
Seasoned in Myths of man
Some eternal plan
Damn

Such a lonely supper,

Where is my Magdalene?
I Wish she’d wash my feet again
And send those bastards fuming;
She knows I’m human.
What a woman !

Such a lonely supper,

It’s men, that make me weary
And doubtful and dreary
I feel so alone
Cold, to the bone
Wish I was home

Such a lonely supper,

Pharisees? Scheming!
Soon they’ll come screaming
Wrap my body in a shawl
I’ve heard them call;
“Writing’s on the wall!”

Such a lonely supper,

I know where it’s at ****
Christ! I’ve tried to tell them that
But they’re addicted to rules
Brains like mules
Bloody fools

Such a lonely supper,

Were my efforts all a waste?
Sweet wine to vinegar taste *****
This human race
This soul-less space
What a disgrace.

Such a lonely supper,

And what should I say
This final day? ******
“I commend my soul to Thee?”
“Why hast thou forsaken me?”
or, “It is finished”, I’m free.

such a lonely supper...


Notes:
{ * "...take this cup from me" (Jesus praying on the Mount of Olives.) (I removed that awful link I linked to the quote but didn't read/notice the commentary. Sorry!)
** Holy Communion.
*** "Lamb of God" (Jesus)
**** John 14:20 "In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you."
***** John 19:28-30 (Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.)
****** In the 4 Gospels, there are 3 versions of Jesus' last words. One emanates despair, one emanates faith, one emanates acceptance.Take your pick.}
Length of poem? There are 14 "Stations of the Cross" but I always thought there were only 12; so I wrote "12" verses and am happy with this mistake.

Mat james.

[Boss]

An exceptional write, Mat.

He was so lonely, wasn't he

[jimbo]

I love your words Mat.............
but is He so lonley now?with 6 1/2 billion images of Him
and his spirit within.
if they could only find it

He drank our cup on his own for us...........
and like Him we all die alone

regards Jimbo

[daka]

VERY beautiful poem Mat!
If I wasn't a Buddhist
I would be envious!
Of your talent

I think that would make a great song. Did you have a song in mind as you wrote it? I can easily imagine Dylan singing it as a song, but not so easily, Leonard. I am sure that has more to do with my limitations than Leonard's.

I don't know if you do music too, if so, please pass on any thougths tyou might have about chords for your song!

I think Christ's crucifixion started at the moment of conception.

Sean

[Sideways]

did you read this back before posting?


"Me, enlightened Poet?
This cup, I’d love to throw it"

oh, dear!

"But they’re addicted to rules
Brains like mules
Bloody fools"

yes, "mules" does rhyme with "rules", that's true.

[William]

Over long and over dependent on rhyme, which sometimes takes from the power of lines. But that's just my opinion.

[mat james]

He was so lonely, wasn't he

Boss.
Yes !

[mat james]

I think that would make a great song. Did you have a song in mind as you wrote it?

Yes I did.
" Some enchanted evening".

some enchanted evening
you may see a stranger...

[Sideways]

Over long and over dependent on rhyme, which sometimes takes from the power of lines. But that's just my opinion.

you are right, Billy. whenever I see a long poem with such a simple rhyming scheme I am suspicious. By the way do you know how lambs get fat with fright?

I originally presumed the intent of the poem was sincere but when I read it again I think it was a wind-up. Just read the last verse

"And what should I say
This final Friday?
“I commend my soul to Thee?”
“Why hast thou forsaken me?”
or, “It is finished”, I’m free."

that can't have been serious! I don't think anyone could seriously write something quite as awful as that. Anyway, I have nothing against a joke and imho I think anyone should write whatever they want

what do you think, Billy?

Sue

[mat james]

Hi Sue and Willy,
Thanks for the comments.
The rhymes do need work. Technically it is in need of a lot of help.

Length can annoy people but in this case I needed it, to move through the range of scenes that spontaneously played out in my mind and as there are "12 Stations of the Cross", I wanted my 12 verses (of reflection/contemplation).
It could do with a dose of editing.

Just for the record:
The lines below are quotes from the bible. They come from different books of the New Testament. Each line is supposedly the "last words" that Jesus spoke before dying. I thought that it was interesting that each author places Jesus in a different state of mind at the moment of death.

“I commend my soul to Thee?” or (into thy hands I commend my spirit)
“Why hast thou forsaken me?” ( La'ama sabach tha ni)
or, “It is finished”, I’m free."

The first is complete acceptance of his fate.
the second is a mood of doubt and a feeling of being betrayed and deserted.
The third is a mood of distance; a buddha-esq perspective of "job done;That's the way it goes, I'm out of here".

Of course this doesn't make it great poetry,as you have pointed out, but it helps set the scene for those who are not aware of th biblical reference in this verse.

enjoy your Easter Eggs, if that is what Easter is for you.

Matj

[Steven]

Hi Mat,

You illustrated an ultimate irony in that the supper that provided
the model for Holy Communion wasn't fully communal. Like Sean, I also
wondered if this were intended as a song. Nice work. You probably don't
want to read it at church, though.

[mat james]

I love your words Mat.............
but is He so lonley now?with 6 1/2 billion images of Him
and his spirit within.
if they could only find it

Jimbo

Thanks, Jimbo. I'm glad you love the words.
Here is a bit about the "thoughts".

One of the things I like about the Jesus character is his humanity. His vulnerability, his doubt, his "lost-ness". This comes to a head in the Garden of Gethsemane. In this piece/poem I overlay the mood of "Why hast thou forsaken me?"
I tried to place myself in his position. His friends had deserted him, one was about to betray him, the establishment had it in for him and no-one, I repeat, "no-one" understood him. His women loved him but even they didn't understand him. Even his God seemed to have abandoned him.
It seems that he cognized this desperately dark isolation in the Garden of Gethsemane and one author poetically describes the aloneness and fear as "sweating blood".
This poem "The lonely Supper" is about that wonderful thinker; that beautiful, kind man in his darkest hours, Psychologically alone and bleeding, and about to eat for the last time with his frustratingly dull-minded, and apparently unworthy friends.

Regards, Mat.

Hi Steven,
I am not a churchy sort of guy, strange as it may seem.

[mat james]

daka wrote,

I think that would make a great song.

Thanks for the positives daka.
It is funny how things go. I was humming "Some enchanted evening" (from the musical, South Pacific) and I found myself then at the last supper: some other enchanting evening I suppose. So the first two lines

"such a lonely supper
all my friends are eating"

cut in to that rythm:

"Some enchanted evening
you may meet a stranger"

I think that is where the similarity ends.
I have a tune in my head and I do tend to sing the poem to myself, so I suppose you could call it a song.
But I don't write music, so that is where the song ends I suppose.

With all its faults, I love the piece/poem as it has helped me to empathise with the main character, and, perhaps salute his lonesome integrity.
It is the humanity in the man that I love. (not the divine Being bit)

Buddha's cool
but this guy's warm.....

I think they would have been good mates. Buddha should have been at that table (Last Supper). Jesus would have had at least one knowing friend !
But then he would not have been so lonely; and I would not have had reason to write this sensitive piece.

Regards, Mat.

[daka]

Buddha's cool
but this guy's warm.....

I think they would have been good mates. Buddha should have been at that table (Last Supper). Jesus would have had at least one knowing friend !

Maybe Jesus was Buddha, Mat!

Sean

Thanks for your comments. I thought you were having me on with "Some Enchanted Evening", giving me a lash for some unknown reason (memories of childhood)! It's nice to see that wasn't the case, that I was wrong, once again.

[Steven]

"I am not a churchy sort of guy, strange as it may seem. " -- Mat

Hi Mat,

Wasn't thinking you were.