Ugly truth

Picture it.
The sand carried by the arid heat at your back.
Your eyes look around, until you see the object right in front of you.
They start from below scanning until you reach the top.
In a matter of seconds, you put hands over your eyes and look away.
The smell of urine, and sweat fills the air around you.
Slowly, your eyes open with all the courage that you can muster,
and then you clasp your hands over your mouth in shock.
You’ve always known that blood would be a part of this scene,
but that’s not what really gets to you.
It’s his face.
He doesn’t have one.
It’s been violently ripped and now hangs in the breeze.
His own mother would have a hard time placing him.
A mass of hair and skin is all that remains.
Blood drips down what’s left of his nose.
His body hangs there on that cross like a rag doll.
His olive skin is cracked, broken…and bludgeoned.
This man is in such pain, that you’re knees give way beneath you.
He’s so weak.
The rhythm of his breathing is getting shorter and shorter,
as if he’s drowning in his own blood.
You can hear his raspy voice.
He struggles to say a few words.
Your eyes start to well with tears.
His body has been sliced to ribbons.
Pressure, pain, and agony are all His to bear.
Through crooked teeth, he speaks in Hebrew.
The audible language is unfamiliar to your ears,
but the language in action is clear.
It’s love.
Tears stream down your face,
as you shake your head.
This is no stain glass window.
This isn’t a marble statue.
It’s not a painting in oil, and pastels.
This is something horrible and violent.
This is something soul stirring, and shocking.
It is the ugly truth.
Can you see it?