This writing was accepted for publication in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN#/ISBN# issue/book “War of Water” cc&d, v282 (the April 2018 issue) Order this as a 6"x9" paperback book: |
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A Call for Missionaries
M.C. Rydel
For John Shirk
Take to the sea in tall ships
And cross an ocean to get here.
We’re the savages you need to save.
You won’t find us in the jungle,
In mountainside caves, on the plains,
Or frozen in drifts of iglooed snow.
Your ministry’s in the burlesque house,
Coffeeshop, tavern, and smoked-up two-flat
In the heart of Logan Square.
You preach to poets and actors,
Singers and comedians, magicians and artists,
With tattoos and rows of piercings.
You listen to the heresy, blasphemy,
Curses, pornography, and allusions,
Yet you hear the voice of Jesus as a whisper.
He calls to you while you are sleeping,
And enters your dreams disguised
As a soul you haven’t thought about in years.
He traveled to India in his twenties,
Got a lot of strange ideas,
Brought them back home,
Caused a lot of trouble,
And wants you to do the same
For these heathens, smoking outside the bar.
See eternity
In the ink of a haiku.
Repeat until dazed.
See eternity
In the ink of a haiku.
Repeat until dazed.
The best missionaries succeed in saving themselves,
And creating a whirlpool in the river
The natives can’t figure out how to avoid.