Stations of the Cross

 Sonnet on the 14 Stations of the Cross

 

Original sonnet by Kieran Gonsalves (c) 2026, dedicated to my dear friend Tino de Sa, who shared his own sonnet and enlightened me of how the 14 stations of the cross lend themselves to a sonnet. 

 

Here's what I found about the 14-line sonnet, often cited as the "Goldilocks" length for a poem: it is long enough to develop a sophisticated thought, but too short to allow for rambling. It requires the poet to be incredibly economical with language, making every one of the 14 lines essential to the whole. 

 

Furthermore the 14-line structure works in tandem with Iambic Pentameter (a "heartbeat" rhythm of ten syllables per line). 

 

The last two lines called ‘the Volta’ or ‘the turn’ are arguably the most powerful part of the 14-line structure. Because they rhyme with each other (a rhyming couplet), they stand out from the rest of the poem, subverting everything said in the earlier 12 lines and providing a pithy ending.

Free Barabbas! Away with him! Crucify him! Crucify him!
Heavy cross! Not our loss! Ridicule! Spit! Curse! Mock!
He stumbles under the crushing weight of all our sins
The most BVM rushes to his side. Bleeding heart within

Unwilling Simon of Cyrene forced to carry the cross
Veronica blessed to wipe his blood, sweat, and tears
Falls again a second time, gets right back up
Don't weep for me! Weep for your sons and daughters

The third fall must be the end of the road
Off with his garments, cast lots his the tunic
Hammer goes kaboom - pain explodes in his brain
Paradise. Mother, Son, Mother. It's over.

But Mother, steadfast, receives body of son
Death, where is thy sting? Resurrection has won