Not feminine, though it exists.

Untamed, polite for ‘savage’,

perfect name for a jazz riff,

or Buddy Rich drumming.

 

Untamed Persuasion

 

She feeds and feeds on the youth she possesses.

He consumes himself like fire, like a star, an animal in a trap.

The unbearable impact of children.

 

Fierce Persuasion

 

Dead in a roadside ditch.

A deer with a broken face.

Generations removed from the sacred hunt.

What became of the Spirit, the humble reverence for life?

 

Humble Persuasion

 

The Universe takes its course according to the numbers.

Atoms placed with the precision of Quantum Inc.

We all end up where we have to be.

 

Logical Persuasion

 

The revivalist tent

in the parking lot of the fairgrounds, or the Cathedral of All Souls,

it is the same Lord who reigns with the iron fists of guilt and forgiveness.

We give it up for Jesus, whatever it is, we make a buck for the Holy Spirit.

A name that once could not be spoken is the snake handler’s proof.

The God of children offers them up to deacons who eat them raw.

It is Jesus on the Mount, on the donkey, on the cross, on the right hand.

It is Jesus in the heart, in the tomb, in the temple, in the tempest.

Pray for all the things in heaven, on earth, in your heart, in your mind.

Persuade your God you deserve His attention.

 

Teleological Persuasion

is all you ever need.

Amen