Sounds like fun.
No.
It was in church,
during catechism.
We would assemble
in circles. My circle
was right under
a very large statue
of Jesus, red robes,
bleeding heart.
The Sunday school teacher
was ancient—
layers of black,
runny nose,
not inclined to acts of
self-expression.
The tension was building.
The droning of the rote question-answers,
stale air in the dark church,
all those saints looking down on us.
I had to
do it.
I twirled.
Only once.
To take the edge off.
She looked at me in disbelief.
Index finger, launching.
Why can’t you be like…
Fit in, fit in.
Defiant Devotion – Bottlecap Press, 2025 (Chapbook)