by Allan Henry
Sherlock Holmes
sits in the desert.
His eyes are dry.
He does not weep
for his Moriarty.
Who will you be with?
Jesus Christ
kneels on Golgotha.
His cross is broken,
nobody will fix it.
The soldiers have no
heart to nail him up
and leave him to die.
Who will you be with
When the sky turns dark?
Holmes
thinks.
who?
Christ
begs.
who?
Holmes’ deerstalker cap
has been ripped by wind
his pipe has been swallowed
by a mirage.
who will touch your hand
when the rains come
when the desert reaches out?
The soldiers hem and haw
avert their eyes
and shuffle
among splintered wood
and failed crucifixions.
who will be by you
when your tombs are denied
and the heavens rip with grief?
Time passes as Christ kneels.
Sand sweeps over Golgotha.
The rock becomes a desert.
Two thousand years later
Holmes sees Christ and
a ruined cross.
the sun of thine enemy
is the totality of your heroism
Christ kneeling looks
at the detective.
The detective
stares at the Saviour.
Slowly,
Holmes nails Christ
to a cross.
Christ is Holmes’ Moriarty.
Holmes is Christ’s redeemer.
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