lone votive, Monte Calvario
one candle
in a grey corner
when the wind is wailing
flickers warmth
it grows from an old
white wax mound
reassuring us all
that before long
someone will come
with a little more light
and strike the next match
but I don’t feel warm
in its presence
only anxious to leave
before I can witness
the wind whip it away
turning off hate
one little step toward peace:
disconnect the loudspeakers
how much violence begins
as annoyance –
the simmering ire of being woken
when you just want rest?
the Christian dawn singalong
jars as much as the
Muslim call to prayer
in America
we have our own sectarian divides:
D vs. R
blue vs. red
north vs. south
east vs. west
white collar vs. blue
agnostic vs. religious
educated vs. working class
haves vs. have nots
(note the bias –
all my own assignments
stated first)
imagine if Fox News were broadcast
over speakers in Memory Square
or if my grandparents were forced
to take in a daily podcast
questioning their faith?
even good people break
silence saves our sanity
