Poems

#6

do lord o do lord o do remember me
do lord o do lord o do remember me

for seventeen miles the tent songs flowed
sundays on our way to church
me            brother johnny            jimmy                        ross
& a girl in a taffeta dress
who i wanted to fuck

i sang hard                        i sang good
but i couldn’t keep my eyes
off the girl in the taffeta dress:

i envied the blue ribbon-belt
that languished between her plump thighs

i gotta home in glory land
            that’ll outshine the sun
i gotta home in glory land
            that’ll outshine the sun

religion scared the bejeezus out of me
as a kid
sins of the flesh            hellfire                        damnation

you should be a preacher! screamed
            brother johnny
between secret nips from his pocket flask
you should use your gift for the lord!
whispered brother martin
(converted after a tractor
cut his legs off
and he lived)

i took jesus as my savior
            you take him too
i took jesus as my savior
            you take him too

at age twelve i gave in
tired of fear soaking into my pillow
            like sweat
of loneliness echoing in my belly
like shotguns through a canyon

one evening at meeting
i dropped to my knees in contrition
for sins i only wished i had done

jesus came into my heart
twisting his hat in his hands like an
            uneasy guest

i sang and i prayed
sang            and            prayed

but i still wanted to fuck
the girl in the taffeta dress

Next