Middle Testament
Patrick T. Reardon
One-Cent archived the
Middle Testament. He
slipstreamed the sequences
and Exsultet. He spiritualed
Great Lent. He measured
on Good Friday the empty
tabernacle, doorless. His
feet he left unwashed. He
broke invisible ikons. The
terra cotta army draft, he
dodged. He stain-glassed
himself to the left of the
pulpit with a green halo. He
danced before the altar like
the lusty king, sinner and
poet. He traveled in search
of the Grail and the Whale
and the rapid-eyed bird. He
found bitter herbs and a lost
supper and the unpassed cup.
They broke the legs of the
thieves as he watched.
Patrick T. Reardon
12.17.25
This poem originally appeared in Tipton Poetry Journal on 12.16.25.
It was one of the six poems that the journal’s editor Barry Harris nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
Written by : Patrick T. Reardon
For more than three decades Patrick T. Reardon was an urban affairs writer, a feature writer, a columnist, and an editor for the Chicago Tribune. In 2000 he was one of a team of 50 staff members who won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. Now a freelance writer and poet, he has contributed chapters to several books and is the author of Faith Stripped to Its Essence. His website is https://patricktreardon.com/.