Adulteress (John 8:1-11)

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Nicolas Poussin - Christ et la femme adultère


I raise my fist into the air,

grasping a chunk of stone tightly

within my grip.

Adulteress,

this woman has been caught

in the very act,

with a man not her husband.

 

The teacher looks at her

as she cowers helplessly at the wall.

The law states

that a woman such as this

should be put to death.

You do not place yourself above Moses.

 

He tells us that if we are without sin,

we may cast a stone.

I consider releasing the rock.

I wave it above my head.

My small sins do not compare to hers.

 

To my left a stone falls to the ground.

Another of my companions gives up

the trap.

The teacher has called our bluff

and one by one

we leave

to go about our piously sinful lives.



From the collection; Pictures of the Messiah

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