After the Rapture

I

talk about a feeling
defined in bibles
refined in pulpits
all chapters written
with bloody hands

when i was a child
i saw what i felt
harmonizing with nature
and the spirits around me

CHASTISED, CRITICIZED
taught what to do…
what not to do?
but rebel

i used their tools
‘til i could teach
myself

man against man
man within stars
two parallel lines
equaling profit

foolishly pretending
to understand
i erupted
rising out of the sea
like a volcano
given power
yet surrounded
by the glamorous beast
with the master card

 II

after the rapture
i felt nothing
wife and kids gone
called my parents
no one answered
so i turned on
and watched tv
 
zz…a terrorist plot…zz
said the president
with the ‘moral majority’
at his feet
 
i walked outdoors
thru chaotic streets
wandering for hours
 
peeked in a church
catholic, i think
a priest and a prostitute
were sharing a drink
trading lies
 
“what happened?” i asked
“god’s wrath” they replied
“oh, pour me one…
here’s to good health”
clink!

III

sirens still whine
as i stagger home
tow trucks swarm
like vultures
carting away
abandoned debris
 
unlocking the door
i think about grandpa
who preached so long ago
Armageddon
“like a thief…”
 
trumpets slice the instant
glory, glory, glory
some angelic band
comes for me!
 
alas,
just The Wide World of Sports
on that god damned tv
playing Fanfare for the Common Man
guess i’ve been cast
in the shadow
of this dream
 
Eli, Eli
lama sabachthani

Houston, Texas ‘82