STEP BROTHERS

[Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John (bar Zebedee),
Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (bar Alphaeus),
Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas Iscariot]

Long, long ago and far away
A man climbed a steep stone stair,
And he thought as he climbed to the upper room
Of the friends who were waiting there.
His step was slow and his head drooped low,
For the day had been weary and long,
And he named one stair as he climbed up there
For each of the waiting throng.
Simon the Zealot, Thaddeus, James,
Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas,
Philip and Andrew, James and John:
Ten friends of faithful promise.
At the top of the stair, two steps with a bend
He named Peter the Rock and Judas the Friend.
He thought: "More than friends are these men to me,
Judas, Peter, the others,
Climb this one last stair, I shall find them there,
My Twelve, my own dear Step Brothers“.
Then he passed within, saying: "Let us begin:
For our supper we'll now prepare!"
But he alone knew when the meal was through
That one false step would be there.
He mused on the name he had given each stair,
For he knew that one friend would grieve him,
That before he left, he would be bereft,
That one would betray and deceive him.
The meal at an end, he blessed each friend,
Bartholomew, James and John,
Each had his place on one stair's space
And eleven would journey on.
Coming last, the man saw his journey's end
And an end to mankind's load of sinning
On one of the two top steps with a bend:
On the other, a new beginning.
And he thought: "On these, my faithful stairs,
Handrailed safe with hope and prayers,
While each tread bears its own true weight
Mankind may climb up safe to my Father’s gate”.
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