A Lacuna in the Gospel

The lacuna in the story surprises, but then
I cannot claim any particular
Knowledge of the underlying tale,
As I do not subscribe to that faith.
But still, I wonder, where did
Joseph, Jesus’ father (guardian, 
protector as an infant?) go.

His death, as far as I can see,
Was unrecorded.  So, for the sake of 
This story, let us assume he was
Gone before our central figure
Offered his suffering.

Did Jesus attend the funeral?
Did he recite the prayers and psalms
That accompanied Hebrew men
To their resting place.
Did friends or apostles
Pay shiva calls, offering
Condolences?  
Who carried the body?
Who mourned?

Or perhaps he lived when Jesus suffered,
And stood at a distance
While Mary cradled the son,
And was wracked, and quiet
While the man-god he had raised
Had taught to nail and hammer,
To measure twice and cut once,
Laid broken in his mother’s arms.

The bereaved father, like so many
Other bereaved fathers, quiet,
Holding back the moans that
Edge out in the middle of the night
When no one can hear them.

Joseph vanished from that text,
As far as this not too careful reader
Can ascertain.
We are left suspended: 
No tales subsequent, as far as I can
Chat-gpt it, as to Joseph’s fate.
But for the fate that befalls us all,
Although his name is well remembered.
Might that be reward enough?

May 22 2025
24th Iyyar