Duty

(A mirrorwise reflection between Matthew 2:16 and John 16:2)

by Tobias Stanislas Haller, BSG

to KMY

Somewhere a child is crying.

Lord, help me find him

that I may do my duty to my King.

Led by what dark star

to the outskirts of the capital,

as a man under orders,

commanded, I go.

All of them, he said,

up to the age of two.

I passed one by a while back,

perhaps small for his age;

the soldier behind me thought otherwise.

Soldier. Is this soldiers' work?

Up to the age of two, he said.

The King is a hard man.

It's no disloyalty to acknowledge it.

You don't build a kingdom being soft.

He cuts a broad swath, our King.

All of them, he said,

up to the age of two.

It's quieter now the screaming's over.

The cobblestones are slippery

and it's too dark now

to see with what.

But somewhere up ahead

a child is crying.

Lord, help me find him

that I may do my duty to my King.

Tobias Stanislas Haller, BSG, vicar of Saint James Fordham in the Bronx, serves as a trustee of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, as chair of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission and member of the Spirituality Commission, and is an elected alternate to the Episcopal Church's next national General Convention. He is a life professed member of the Brotherhood of Saint Gregory. Tobias may be reached by email at bsg@earthlink.net