Original Sin – Poem #4

And the prophet said
“You have to draw the line somewhere”
and he wrote it on a wall
in the men’s room of a fine restaurant.

And the keeper of the toilet
wiped the scripture from the wall
with a damp sponge and a bucket of Pine-Sol
as if it were obscene.

Outside there was hunger in the land
while those who are driven
rather than drive
ate their fill served by ladies in waiting.

And the hungry children who could not read
saw with such clarity
how those with so much
valued so little the labor of their mothers.

And the heart of a child grew hard
watching those who are driven
consuming the bread of life
and the prophecy came to pass.

His innocence ended
he took a wafer from the cup of sweets
placed it on his tongue and ate it
as if it was his own

with a knowing smile and dead eyes.

.