In the Temple

as he stood there
he could taste the acrid smoke
of the incense
that was burning all around him.

he could smell the sour odor
of the sweat on the bodies
of the priests, alerting him
that they were near

he could hear the rise and fall
of the crowd’s chanting
as they worshiped their god

as he stood there
shackles chafing his wrists and ankles
he reached out and felt
the rough wood-grain of the
temple’s central pillars

he silently breathed
a prayer to The Almighty
begging forgiveness for
his past transgressions
and begged for one more chance

as he used his muscles
for the very last time
he knew
that those around him
would shortly join him
in his darkness

~~

At dVerse, Brian Miller challenged us to write a poem that describes something using any sense except sight.  It took me a while to figure out what/how I would write, but eventually thought of the last moment of Israel’s judge, Samson.  What did he experience, what did he feel as he stood in Dagon’s temple, the blinded prisoner of Israel’s enemy, the Philistines.