Monday, April 11, 2011

Poem #11

"Jesus Tries Not to Serve Aces"

I toss the green ball in the air 
with my left hand
raise the racket behind my head 
with the right
elbow bent like a catapult
ready to spring

the ball begins to descend
I release the coil of my arm
and serve across the net
into the shadows

I wait for the return

silence

I toss another ball into the air
retract the racket
and launch another serve

nothing

maybe I have the wrong sport

I palm a white ball with my left hand
my right, loose in a fist, bumps it
from beneath, fires the shot 
over a higher, larger net
again into the darkness

my legs wide, knees bent
a stance ready for a return

still nothing

I try everything to start a rally
to engage in a volley
but they do not hear
the sound of the ball coming

they are too preoccupied
with fumbling in the dark
looking for a place to stand
to see that my ball is filled
with light, that my voice
is their salvation

*

[This poem took a turn that surprised me. I started thinking the poem was about A but then it turned out to be about B, something completely out of left field. I love when that happens. And for the record, I'm not a religious person but I think the season of Lent and Easter has me occupied with Christian figures, like Jesus and Mary (see Poem #8).]

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