Sealed With a Kiss
Image by Thanasis Papazacharias via Pixabay
I thought tonight would be easy.
Their plan was simple,
but it all depended on me.
What if it went wrong,
someone recognised me —
drew attention to my cover?
What would I do?
My supper with friends
was haunting me,
sending waves of nausea
up to my throat,
hovering uncertainly
before ebbing back
from whence it came.
Darkness was creeping through
the garden, bringing with it
more oesophageal comings
and goings, cold sweats,
heart beating in overdrive,
shaking from head to toe.
I heard hurried footsteps,
talking, shouting. Someone
calling my name, I whispered:
I’m over here, here, here.
I recognised the man looming
through flickering shadows.
The Broker. Hours earlier
he had explained
someone was needed,
someone trustworthy
someone who could do the job
without being discovered
until it was completed.
I had agreed for a small fee.
He pressed some silver coins
into my trembling hands.
It was time. I didn’t linger.
Emotionless, no tenderness,
no frisson of excitement. Cold,
calculating, callous betrayal
of an innocent man.
His cruel fate sealed with a kiss
from the lips of Judas Iscariot.
As Easter fast approaches, you may find these other poems and stories inspirational.
- Pilate’s Calvary – Poetry for Good Friday
- I Will Answer “Yes” – Personal Christian Faith Journey Essay
- Faith & Work – Poetry
Susan Carberry
Susan lives in NW London. Her poems are an eclectic mix of social commentary, the natural world, the human condition, humour, and her deep faith in God, and they appear in several anthologies. She recently published her own poetry booklet, Eternal Ephemera. Susan is a Poet in Residence to the gardeners of Roundwood Park. She reads her work for events at the City Literature Institute, and has begun writing flash fiction and short stories. She’s a familiar figure in her local cafes and restaurants, where she sits with a coffee and writes, gaining inspiration from the world around her.
Susan has participated in several recorded readings with others. Find them on You-Tube as an Anthology and Late Line productions.
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