Mary Magdalene dances in a quiet garden on her own
It is the afternoon of the first day of the week
Gracefully, she twirls and bows
She stretches her arms to the sky
She laughs and sings
And she remembers the morning

It was very early
The sun was just thinking about rising
I had to walk out to the tomb
It was my only link
To him
To what was
To what might have been
In my mind I kept picturing the horrors
Of the day he died

I remembered him just hanging there
Caught on that cross between earth and sky

Once, when he looked at me
I thought my legs would give way
That glance went right through me
To a place I wanted to avoid
I knew that he chose to embrace what was
Done to him
But I could not take it in
And when the long hours ended and he was gone
I saw the soldier pierce his side
Then others took him down

The last I saw of him was when they rolled
The stone to close the tomb
And so I was shocked when I came to the tomb
And found it open
With the stone rolled away!
I had to tell the others

Peter and John rushed out to the tomb
They went in and saw, and left looking puzzled
And I remained behind alone with my tears

When I ducked inside the tomb
I thought it would smell bad like with Lazarus
But it didn't
Then I saw the two people dressed in bright
White garments
Who asked me why I was crying
I said, I think someone has taken his body away
And then I broke into tears again
After a while I heard a noise outside
So I turned around and caught sight of someone
Tending flowers
He said, Why the tears? What are you looking for?
I said something silly and he just said, Mary.
And I knew he was there. That voice!
He was there

I shouted Rabbouni, and threw myself down
And hugged his knees with all my might
He was really there!
He touched my head and said
You don't need to cling
I'll be with you a while longer
But now I have a mission for you
I want you return to Simon and the others
And give them this message
I am ascending to my Father and your Father.'
I wasn't sure what that meant, but I put it into memory
Then I hurried off
I found them again the upper room, and I told them
But they just stared at me
I don't think they got it
But, I delivered his message, as he asked

I left, and for a while I wandered around
In a kind of daze
And then I came here to this garden to be alone
After all that strange wonder of the morning
I find here a kind of quiet delight

Now I know no power on earth can ever take
Him away again
Somehow even death could not hold him
For a while I feared that maybe death would
Make him more distant
Less human somehow
But he seemed even more himself than ever
It wasn't something I could see

But now I know what happened
Now I know the way
All was lost and dark and wrong
But that was yesterday