The Second Station of the Cross: Jesus Takes Up His Cross

[The following is from a series first posted during Lent in 2015.]

< The First Station of the Cross                                                                        The Third Station of the Cross >

Jesus willingly accepts and patiently bears his cross

© AFP Immigrant workers harvest grapes in California's Napa Valley

"We do rely on a foreign workforce. We really have an issue in terms of attracting domestic workers. They typically don't want to work in agriculture. It's out in the elements, it can be a hard job" http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2013/03/california-harvests-delayed-by-shortage-of-workers

Many of us live in comfort in the Empire, taking our bounty for granted. It is a bounty that is largely dependent upon the work of immigrant laborers who are poorly paid, lacking in many services such as housing and healthcare, living in substandard conditions. We, in turn, denigrate the illegal immigrants upon whom we rely for the food and wine on our tables. Undocumented immigrants willingly take up the burden while Empire enjoys the bounty.

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The Second Station of the Cross: Jesus Takes Up His Cross

[The following is from a series first posted during Lent in 2015.]

< The First Station of the Cross                                                                        The Third Station of the Cross >

Jesus willingly accepts and patiently bears his cross

© AFP Immigrant workers harvest grapes in California's Napa Valley

"We do rely on a foreign workforce. We really have an issue in terms of attracting domestic workers. They typically don't want to work in agriculture. It's out in the elements, it can be a hard job" http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2013/03/california-harvests-delayed-by-shortage-of-workers

Many of us live in comfort in the Empire, taking our bounty for granted. It is a bounty that is largely dependent upon the work of immigrant laborers who are poorly paid, lacking in many services such as housing and healthcare, living in substandard conditions. We in turn denigrate the illegal immigrants upon whom we rely for the food and wine on our tables. Undocumented immigrants willingly take up the burden while Empire enjoys the bounty.

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Masterworks Series: The Card Players

Pipes and Perspective

Rainy days bring farmers inside

Waiting for nature

To allow their tending and tilling.

The card table calls

To men seeking to avoid

The boredom of delay;
A game of chance and skill
To pass the time.

Smoking his clay pipe

He leans against the wall

Observing the game.
Giving no indication,

He quietly calculates.

Knowing what he would do with that hand,

Wondering what the player will do,
He watches the game unfold.

Awaiting the next round,

He is readying himself for involvement.

A farmer never simply waits.

Whether stopping for rest

Or halting for the elements,

His mind is at work
Considering his options
Contemplating the next move.

Working with the hand he is dealt,

A peasant farmer moves diligently

To influence the outcome.

Living in connection with the earth,

He knows his limits

And constantly adjusts,
Hoping that the fields
Will grant a good harvest.

One bad hand would bring despair

Were it not for the knowledge

That there will be another.

So he pauses –

Sharpening his mind,

Puffing his pipe,     

Waiting for a new deck

And a seat at the table.

                                                 ~ CK 

__________________________
Image: The Card Players at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Artist: Paul Cézanne (French,1839–1906)
Date: 1890–92
Medium: Oil on canvas

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