It wasn’t for the money.
Of that I’m sure
the way cancer will take your donations,
but they won’t buy its cure.
No, he must have had the Judas cell.
That hell in his heart and mind.
A cell that keeps on hating
until it kills the soul that keeps it.
But what was Judas inside of Christ?
Was he his coughs?
His fevers?
His flu?
I think he was Christ’s nightmare.
There in the garden
when all the angels left,
and from the dusk Judas came
smiling like a breathing ghost.
Yes, the dread of being kissed
by the one who hates you most.
Judas
More: Poems
Show Comments ()
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
“One of the things I find most appealing about the award-winning writer and poet Mary Karr is her forthright, almost brutal, honesty.”
Pope Leo XIV urged new archbishops to help him foster unity in a church rich in diversity. Eight of those new archbishops are from the United States, and they spoke to Catholic News Service about how they can help promote fraternity in today’s polarized world.
This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley chat with Christopher White about his new book, ‘Pope Leo XVI: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy.’
Kerry Weber is an executive editor for America. On May 20, 2025, the Catholic Media Association announced that she was elected president,