April 14, 2020 1:42. AM. Lake Harding, Georgia. Acrylic, Oil pastel, Chalk, repurposed pre-framed canvas. 48x39in
August 15, 2022
Be Home Soon
I grew up in a loose, ill-fitting, string of bastard beliefs.
Church after church after church after—
Just like my lovers. My fucks in a row.
I never got baptized, nor did my older brother, Brooks.
We used to fantasize about plunging into that odd pool in that odd church when the lifeguard was off duty.
Cross on the wall above, I've always known Jesus.
I've always known myself.
In the same way that I've always been "free."
With a click and a Knock I turn the key to see.
Snakes of the surface, serpents of the furnace.
Cold-blooded misunderstandings must've cost them their legs.
Meanwhile my back aches, my shoulders and knees.
Favors of fortune stance on bold claims, I plea for purging.
Hands are for holding hair back and flipping pages of the Bible.
Exorcising saints that shiver when they bleed.
L.R. Bennett
