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“Hosanna,” All The Children Cried
“Hosanna,” all the children cried,
And Christ was pleased to open wide
For them his hands and feet and side,
The devil’s will to override.
“Hosanna,” all the children cried.
Beneath the cross the devil writhed,
But in his death throes still he lied
And still they echo, amplified.
“Hosanna,” all the children cried,
And Herod struck them, wild-eyed,
Til Rachel’s screams were magnified
Across a bloody countryside.
“Hosanna,” all the children sighed,
And Moloch danced in blood, and eyed
The women who were horrified,
And swayed their hearts to join his tide.
“Hosanna,” all the children cried,
But motherhood had been untied
From hearts of women, hearts of brides,
Hearts of lovers, teachers, guides,
Replaced with lies the snake supplied,
Til she who once was dignified
Lies on a table, satisfied,
As death, the rapist, climbs astride.
“Hosanna,” all the children cried
While through our cities, nationwide,
The blood of our infanticide
Soaks into Moloch’s stinking hide.
But Rachel wakes! And terrified,
Called out for justice to reside,
And justice heard, and it supplied.
The right to murder is denied.
Now, Rachel, joy! And fortified
With hope, march on with Christ-like stride
(For still “Hosanna” children cry).
Sway back the hearts for whom Christ died.
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Alena Casey is a poet and writer currently living in Nebraska. Her poetry has been published with The Road Not Taken, the Society of Classical Poets, and The Author’s Journal of Inventive Literature, among others. Her blog can be found here strivingafterink.wordpress.com.
Alena, that is a deeply heartfelt poem with vivid imagery highly descriptive of what happened to the children under Roe and the new hope for life of the children with the ruling under Dobbs. I can hear the Hosanas of the unborn. Well done!
Descriptive, I hope, not just of the suffering of the children, but of the women. I was moved to write this poem largely because of the reactions of other women after the ruling. A sad world it is where children and families are not desired–and that is where the real change must happen, or else this is a temporary victory. Thank you sincerely, Roy, for your comment.
Alena, this is marvelous writing. “As death, the rapist, climbs astride”; “The blood of our infanticide / Soaks into Moloch’s stinking hide.” are to me among the most powerful lines; but there are many. Your illusions are insightful, too: to Rachel, Herod, Moloch, the snake — and of course, in your first verse, to Christ crucified. Also I think the one-rhyme scheme works to present an authoritative, vigorous effect. As soon as I read the first line, the tune to a hymn in the same meter started running through my head, and I’m curious about whether you are familiar with it, or if you were conscious of it as you were writing: its tune name is Hosanna, and it begins, “Hosanna to the living Lord! Hosanna to the incarnate Word!” (text by Reginald Heber, tune by John B. Dykes)
I am not familiar with that hymn text or tune, but I looked it up and it seems a fitting association. I’m grateful that you appreciated my poem, Cynthia. I’ve never attempted a one-rhyme scheme before, but I agree that the effect is just right for this poem!
Alena, I often feel like poetry addressing hotly contested issues just deteriorates into polemic – but this poem strikes me as beautiful in its own right, not sacrificing the aesthetic to preachiness. Really good!
Thank you!
Alena, thank you for writing this for children, for women, and for everyone, because no one is untouched by abortion. I discovered this from the 1987 book “Aborted Women: Silent No More.” A young woman dressed in black, with multiple body piercings, saw me looking at it and said, “Buy it. It’s the truth.” Thanks for speaking for her. Just last month another woman mocked the book title in a national magazine, saying that her lonely, silent abortion impacted no one. Didn’t raise taxes, shoot anyone, or spread covid-19. She forgot about one dead child and two sisters deprived of a sibling. She thinks their life is better than it would have been, and wishes she had told these daughters (children that they were at the time). When their time comes to be raped by death, she wants to accompany them, so they won’t feel such horrific loneliness as she did. You speak as well for this horrifically confused woman and her children and grandchildren. Your poem is a marvel of profound monorhymed perception.
Thank you, Margaret. Let us continue to pray for all these hurting women!
Alena, so nice to see another poet writing a pro-life poem! (You might like my poem “What Is Pro-Choice?” dated June 13, 2022.)
We need to write more of these and flood the Internet with them!
Wonderful! Isn’t it nice to find a platform that publishes work like ours? And so encouraging to read the comments. I hope it makes a difference.