A Mother's Sacrifice

Oh my prescious Jesus,

You were once my little one
And I a young new mother
In love with her first born son

But now the locks of chestnut hair
I brushed from your sweet face
Are tangled in a crown of thorns
Blood mats them into place

The cheeks I kissed so tenderly
When they were plump and round
Now brutally smashed and swollen so,
Your likeness cannot be found

Those chubby little toddler hands
Once held my finger tightly
But now they’re pierced, run through for me
A vision so unsightly

Those arms you wrapped around my neck
Now stretch from beam to beam
And the blood we shared within the womb
From you now freely streams

My precious little rowdy boy,
Now I call you Lord
The sides I once tickled and hugged
Now pierced by Satan’s sword

I used to rub your back at night
So lightly, till you fell asleep
But where my fingers traced your skin
Are lashes brutally deep

I watched those legs that carried you home
After days of boyish games
Waver beneath the weight of the cross
As they bore the full burden of shame

I once listened to your heart at night
When you nestled on my breast
It beat for God, for the world, for me,
Now broken within in your chest

Your voice once called me “Mommy”
And sang praises to our King
Now it begs forgiveness for my sins
And offers life everlasting