Apostles' Creed

Apostles’ Creed
Modification of Rosary Prayer
                                                                                                                              

[I grip the beads so tight my little hands turn white,
Crossing the man over my body as I recall the Creed.]

“I believe in…”
Myself, the creator of panic and dread.

[I roll the beads wanting the end to be near.]

“In Jesus Christ…”
Our only failure, our destruction, conceived by the unashamed.

[My grandmothers hushed whispers chant along the little room.]

“Born of…”
Two people gripped tight by the duality of man.

[I let the beads fall from my hands as I lift my head to look.]

 “Suffered under…”
 Religious rabble, was beaten, died and was hollow.

[The room is full of people, of family, strangers, and hate]

 “He descended into…”
loss; the second day she didn’t rise.

[The spot beside me is now empty but the tears of my mother ring.]

“He…”
She, ascended into Heaven, to stand before her Father Almighty.

[I reach for the rosary and bring it to my lips, the Creed slowly slipping away.]

“I believe…”
In her my grandmother, the holy light of my family.

[All the heads bowed forward as the casket rests polished at his feet.]

“The Communion…”
Forgone for fear of blood and body.

[I move to stand gently as my rosary is gripped at my side.]

“The Forgiveness…”

Of children lost in a world without parents.

[As I make my way slowly to the front, the murmurs of the Creed gripping me tighter.]

“The resurrection…”
Of demons now allowed to run rampant in all that ring true.

[The priest recites as my own tears begin to fall and the Creed of my family dies away.]

“Life everlasting, Amen.”