Sunday, May 11, 2008

Poem for Pentecost


In celebration of Pentecost, here's a poem:


If Pentecost was Commercialized


White doves in shop windows, with signs

"Sale! Get in the Spirit!"

Enough fans to blow a wind in any upper room.

Spicy dinners give everyone a tongue of fire.

Songs with lyrics no one understands

but if asked they say

"She rides a Honda in Shandala."

Kids dressed as holy ghosts

sing Happy Birthday to God-knows who.

And in Peter's honor, the drinking starts at 9 am.


(So let's all be thankful that this Christian observance, at least, has not been co-opted by secular consumerism)



1 comment:

Lydia Daffenberg said...

Hi John.

It's been a while.

I really like this poem. Quite a commentary on both commercialism and misrepresentation of religious meaning. Question: Does this happen every time? Is everything that goes commercial compromised?

Reminds me, through the tempo and the tone, of a poem I once wrote.