elegy to Isaac who was spared by the hands that tied him down

By Peyton Hart

I know of no god but I still scan the book of genesis for​ ​

answers I know I will never find.

The Binding of Isaac.

The lord spoke to abraham and requested him to kill​​

his only son in his name. ​​

Isaac ​​

lived only by the hands of intervention. ​​

I wonder if he came back home that day; ​sat with his father at the dinner table and broke bread baked by the hands ​

which meant to slaughter him;​

looked into the eyes of the ancestor of all ​

knowing that his love was as fickle as the word of the lord,​

and thanked him. ​I wonder if he resisted. ​​

If he kicked and shoved and clawed and begged for an answer. ​​

If he forgave. ​​

Isaac. ​​

I wonder if he prayed that day. ​​

If he pleaded to the god that held him down​​

or to his father who had the hands to do it. ​​

If he sobbed with all the love ​​

that sought to spill his blood down the echoey mountain peaks​

which god

could have grazed with his palms,​crying for an answer only met by the echo of his own pleas.

Isaac lived but not without fear,​​

not without blood on his hands.

About the Author...

Peyton Hart is a sophomore creative writer at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. He has had his work published in Poetry Out Loud and has won both a Scholastic Silver and Gold Key for two separate poetry submissions.

About the Artist...

Shivaneey Dhaarmeekaa Lakshmi Narasimhan is a senior at Hamilton High School. She particularly enjoys making art with a variety of mixed media. Her work has been recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, from which Shivaneey received a Regional Silver Key.