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Thursday, October 15, 2015

Golgotha 5-1479

After meeting with
his press agent,
campaign strategist,
personal adviser
and astrologist,
Pilate thought
creating a martyr
would probably
come back to bite him
in the ass
in the long run.

There was something
about the demeanor
of the accused.
He was too cool,
too controlled
and it made him
rethink his initial
assessment.

"This Jesus probably
had some kind of trick
up his sleeve,
like that
cockamamie
loaves and fishes schtick,
and maybe I should
find a way
to bring Jesus
into the Roman fold.

Besides,
don't I always say
“keep your friends close,
and your enemies
closer?”"

He summoned
his Chief of Staff
to put in a call
to Mount Golgotha
to stop the execution.

As the rotary phone dial
slowly zuzzed and whirred

each

of

the

seven

digits,

one of his lackeys
sauntered in,
sucking on a lamb-pop,
causally announcing
that Jesus had just died.

With that,
Pilate hung up the phone
and stared out
at the desert,
vast and unforgiving,

wondering at
the array of
the ramifications
now before him.

[For Fireblossom's Friday Challenge - here's the linkarino 

66 comments:

  1. Very cool take on the prompt, Mosk!

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  2. Oh.. this is excellent.. and the seven digits.. what a splendid detail Mosk.. :-)

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  3. Love the telephone number, love the lamb pop (!), and love the way you've given the twist to this familiar and terrifying story from the bible. I don't think dial-a-prayer will be enough to set Pilate's mind at ease any time soon.

    la la, dear Mosky.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, that was the worst part of the rotary dial - the waiting. La la Mosk

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    2. By the way, when I read your comment at my place, i was like, "Who the heck is Lamar?" Then I watched the evening news and found out.

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  4. A different perspective and ending ~

    Grace

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    Replies
    1. If only there were smartphones back then.. thanks.

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  5. A touch of brilliance with this dark satire, B; with cruel & imaginative twists. I almost see it as a Monty Python skit; I thought it was funnier than hell; just saying.

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    1. Thanks, Glenn. Funny is always welcome in my book.

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  6. Such a clever satire. So applicable in today's political atmosphere. Nice job with your new blog as well.

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  7. This was fantastic! Clever!

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  8. Clever, clever man.

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  9. Anonymous6:07 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  10. Anonymous6:08 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  11. That is such a fabulous take on the prompt..extremely well done. Loved it.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your kindness and your tenacity.

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  12. I remember those phones... great irony and parallels to modern politics.
    Funnily enough, I've just finished reading 'Acts of the Assassins' by Richard Beard, which transposes the story of Jesus and his disciples into the present-day, with a confused and disbelieving detective having to find out who stole the body. I think you might like that.

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    1. Thanks for the kind words and the book rec. I'll look into it.

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  13. What great detailing you have done! Unique and clever...

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, I could hear it in modern day corporate culture.

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  14. Ha! I really love the first stanza--Pilate as politician, and of course, when it was too late, he would want to have 'my people call your people' to avoid a serious gaffe that might make his poll numbers tank. Great black humor in this, succulently delivered.

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  15. Wow! That was simply excellent! You told the story with exactly the right sense of timing. i think I gasped out loud in admiration.

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  16. Irony is the gift of reality
    that never must make sense..
    Promoting Jesus to a solidier
    GOD in actuality is the only
    way the housings of
    real meaning
    will make
    their way
    to now..
    So sure..
    Jesus is a dinosaur
    carried by eggs
    of human
    myth..
    Not even a flood
    OF LIES
    can end his life..
    as WHOLE long
    as megalomaniacs
    carry his real iTunes
    of REAL
    then.. NOW..
    IN MYTHS
    OF HUMAN
    EGGS..
    AND SURE
    that is
    still
    resurrected
    pArt in today's
    world
    of rotten
    eggs..;)

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I've often said that myself. Thanks.

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  17. Oh, very cool!!!!! A great twist.

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  18. You have that propensity for words that makes humor out of a frightening tale. Takes special talents! Great lines Mosk!

    Hank

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  19. very very nice write,

    much love...

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  20. Love! It could have happened just this way.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, and it can happen - we just need a time machine...

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  21. Wow, a very unique treatment for a poem - I love your narration and the dark satire. Very powerful write.

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  22. Anonymous1:41 AM

    Modern take on an old story. Could see Pilate sitting back with his head in is hands.

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    1. Thanks, yes talk about your damage control....

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  23. It might have happened just this way ... with riders instead of phones. I am sure it did.

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  24. This is such a creative look at a biblical story...

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    1. Thanks, I'm sure I'm nowhere are creative as the original creators of the Bible were.

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  25. Wow! What an interesting perspective!! Great poem. :)

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  26. So creative, B. I could see it being performed as a play. Love the lamb-pop!

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    1. Thanks, myfirst dream was to be a playwright - but this is a close second.

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  27. Oh, poor Pilate, he should have been quicker on the uptake. That was indeed a good trick Jesus had up his sleeve, and I don't think Pilate has ever recovered from the bad press resulting.

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    Replies
    1. Wasn't Pilate the first to say "there's no such thing as bad publicity?"

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  28. Anonymous2:11 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  29. Anonymous2:11 PM

    well done and very amusing!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you - and that's what my ex-wife told me on our wedding night.

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  30. Anonymous9:27 AM

    I like how you think. Lamb pop!

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    Replies
    1. I like how you think about how I think. It was either lamb-pops or matzoh-ball-on-a-stick.

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  31. Anonymous9:27 AM

    I like how you think. Lamb pop!

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    1. You like how I think! You really like how I think!

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  32. In response to your last comment at my place, you get your very own confidential aside in the notes to my new poem, Mosky! la la

    http://fireblossom-wordgarden.blogspot.com/2015/10/fall.html

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  33. As the Python says, Look on the Bright Side of Life, me ol' chum. :-)

    Greetings from London.

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