Although I mostly write prose, I have written and published some poetry, and some of this poetry has been published in credible reviews like Cave Wall and roger, an art and literary magazine, which was the literary magazine at Roger Williams University's English Department. So I want to share a few poems on my blog, not just in written form but spoken. So we'll try this out and see how it works. Monday will be this blog's poetry day for a while. The first poem is "Idolatry," which was written in Southern India at a hill station school.

Idolatry

Our faculty’s token Hindu, a rich white boy from Minnesota

With his bank account tacked to his chest,

Left his elephant god grazing on his lawn

While he was away on field trip week—

I wouldn’t know since I was in Elephant Valley and a prison in Bangalore—

This is strictly hearsay ripe on the grapevine—

The elementary school principal in his

Stainless steel missionary mask

Found Ganesh like a giant turd on the carpet

Grass and enlisted Mr Bojangles,

Many years now a well tamed Christian,

To carry it into the house.

The boy of Minnesota rose a whiney hue and cry

Miss Haversham asked them both to apologize.

Mr Bojangles gave a shuffle and polite tap dance.

The missionary prayed to God for guidance and

Never removed his mask.

This poem is included in my collection, Counting Stars at Forty Below.