In the shadowed vale of Golgotha, night descended slow,
Where love was crucified, adorned in pain’s wretched glow.
Betrayed by Judah’s silver, a heart once fond and true,
For fickle treasure offered, the world turned against the view.
The crowd, a storm of voices, roared like thunder’s call,
“Release to us Barabbas!” they cried, condemning all.
The chief priests, draped in power, cloaked in their selfish guise,
Saw not the good deeds blossomed, nor the love in His eyes.
O, Christ! The scarified heart, bleeding through every plea,
Embodied selfless sacrifice, for the blind and lost, He’d be.
As nails pierced tender flesh, and a crown of thorns was pressed,
His mother wept nearby, her sorrow manifest.
Beside the cross stood Mary, her heart a breaking stone,
And John, the faithful apostle, who would never be alone.
In the midst of mockery, a criminal on His left,
Dared to jeer and scorn Him, adding to the rift.
But on the right, a voice arose, sincere, yet marred by sin,
“Remember me, O Savior, when Your reign does begin.”
A promise in the twilight, as darkness veiled the sky,
“Today you’ll be with Me,” the lover’s whispered sigh.
The sun, in grief, hid its face, refusing light to show,
A world that turned from innocence, the depths of pain and woe.
While spears of iron pierced His side, blood flowed to cleanse the night,
The blind man’s gaze, once clouded, became a vision bright.
“Father, forgive them,” echoed forth, love’s anthem through despair,
As every breath was an offering, His heart laid truly bare.
And in that moment, hope was born, a resurrection’s flight,
From deepest loss to victory, born through the dark of night.
So mark this day, Good Friday’s pain, where love bore all our strife,
For in the scars of sacrifice, we find the breath of life.
The crucified lover of mankind, through death, forever lives,
In every heart that yearns for peace, His boundless love forgives.
BY ALEM HAILU G/KRISTOS
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 18 APRIL 2025
