Fra Angelico’s Agony in the Garden

I have stood on the hillside Fra Angelico depicts
where the gnarled roots of ancient olive trees
still intertwine & grow from the roots of even older trees
where twisted trunks & bent branches
suggest an endured agony of their own
where the weary disciples slept as Christ wept
on the hillside above Jerusalem
& the fresco shows Martha & Mary as they obey
Christ’s command to watch & pray even though
it hadn’t been addressed to them

Holy Guido would have known olive groves
from the hillsides of Italy & devotion
which he represents through these sisters
But as I leaned against the fence that prevents
tourists from scratching their initials into olivewood
the only masterpiece I considered
knowing how short my perceptions fall
is the scene itself Its eternal significance
stirred in my mind brimming behind
my dark glasses