Longinus

Never did his handgrip shake,
nor did he hesitate at all
to thrust the spear into the side.
He did indeed a moment later,
while pulling back his arm.
His whole body paralyzed,
his other hand unable to rise
and hide his healed-up eye.
A few days on just Thomas
had a chance to understand.
The steady blow.
The water and the blood.
The soldier’s blindness gone.
And all the tremors afterwards.
Still today the spear’s head,
although securely fixed,
if closely gazed upon
appears to tremble,
aglare in subdued light
inside the showcase.