by Bernard Pearson
‘Why did they let me Go?’ asked Barrabas When I have no place to be. Why release a murderer And nail a chippie to a tree? I did the thing they tried me for And when they opened That fetid prison door I thought well this is it for sure; But no, they let me go. I heard the scourged him And flayed his skin, The man his disciples Say could do no sin, So why did they set me loose? I am a killer born and bred And should by all Accounts be dead And yet they called my name And it was he they crucified They say that when he breathed his last His old ma knelt and cried No one will weep when my time comes I imagine most will be relieved, But was I really the only one set free, If what happened up on that cross Is to be believed.
Bernard Pearson‘s work has appeared in many publications worldwide, including; Aesthetica Magazine, The Edinburgh Review, In 2017, a selection of his poetry ‘In Free Fall’ was published by Leaf by Leaf Press. In 2019, he won second prize in The Aurora Prize.