I Kissed A Man

i kissed him. Jesus, upon his silent cheek— cool as unturned stone— pressed against my lips. thus, I betrayed him, for thirty shekels of gold, their cold weight heavy in my palm, a silver chorus that rang like nails against wood. and to be crucified by Rome, Oh yes, I kissed a man. his name broke in my throat, a prayer I could not finish. Yet I kissed a man now, silence fills the space where his voice once breathed, and I am alone, the shadow of my cross stretching far too wide.