When I used to be Catholic

 

November 10, 1980  (I was 35)

 

When I used to be Catholic

prayers earned indulgences

Years ago people saved S&H Green Stamps

On the west coast people saved Blue Chip Stamps

Maybe some people still do that

but I don’t know where the hell you get the stamps anymore

I haven’t seen a premium catalog in years

As you received them one for every dime spent

you’d paste them thirty to a page into thirty-paged redemption books

Sometimes you’d buy an electric fry pan and get pages at a time

More often you got a few buying a buck’s worth of gas

I remember a crazy car dealer once on TV

He offered stamps on the down payment for new cars

You had to go to a redemption center to redeem the books

You could get redeemed for anything

a TV or another electric fry pan or a dozen golf balls

The redeemers wore aprons and rubber fingers

They flipped through your pages

handled the spit and wages of your accomplishment

They gave you the reward you saved for

a little bit of heaven with every visit

A look in the glass

 

April 12, 1980  (I was 35)

 

A look in the glass

Me again

Less hair than before

Same lines in an older story

Proud forehead with knots in it

Circled eyes that saw too much

without ever looking

Mouth that said both yes and no

too often

Heart that failed

to warm helping others

Those broken locks groomed by wind

cover a pellet mind within gray stone

Perhaps sustained vision can shatter image

When I used to be Catholic

 

November 10, 1980  (I was 35)

 

When I used to be Catholic

prayers earned indulgences

Years ago people saved S&H Green Stamps

On the west coast people saved Blue Chip Stamps

Maybe some people still do that

but I don’t know where the hell you get the stamps anymore

I haven’t seen a premium catalog in years

As you received them one for every dime spent

you’d paste them thirty to a page into thirty-paged redemption books

Sometimes you’d buy an electric fry pan and get pages at a time

More often you got a few buying a buck’s worth of gas

I remember a crazy car dealer once on TV

He offered stamps on the down payment for new cars

You had to go to a redemption center to redeem the books

You could get redeemed for anything

a TV or another electric fry pan or a dozen golf balls

The redeemers wore aprons and rubber fingers

They flipped through your pages

handled the spit and wages of your accomplishment

They gave you the reward you saved for

a little bit of heaven with every visit

A look in the glass

April 12, 1980  (I was 35)

A look in the glass

Me again

Less hair than before

Same lines in an older story

Proud forehead with knots in it

Circled eyes that saw too much

without ever looking

Mouth that said both yes and no

too often

Heart that failed

to warm helping others

Those broken locks groomed by wind

cover a pellet mind within gray stone

Perhaps sustained vision can shatter image

Inspirational Television

from this week in November, 1980  (I was 35)

            Inspirational Television

You’ve got Earl Campbell breaking into the secondary,

He bounces off linebackers pivots outside or inside

then runs like water through an open funnel

You’ve got Carl Sagan bursting out of the solar system.

He articulates the stars, expletives in the void,

brain matter funneling through a black hole.

Then you’ve got Bob Dylan born again like nobody else,

turns down wings and walks the edge of Heaven;

flips the funnel over the audience and gets them looking up.

There’s Johnny Carson coming through the curtain,

nods to Ed, fakes to Doc, illuminates the limelight

and slides the celebs down the couch.

Earl Campbell, Carl Sagan, Dylan and Johnny.

They are so stylish doing what they do

I think polished thoughts driving to work next morning.

You’ve got Kallio moving through the traffic

flashing in and out of grace,

muscle and physical universe, mind and wicked smile.

When I used to be Catholic

November 10, 1980  (I was 35)

When I used to be Catholic

prayers earned indulgences

Years ago people saved S&H Green Stamps

On the west coast people saved Blue Chip Stamps

Maybe some people still do that

but I don’t know where the hell you get the stamps anymore

I haven’t seen a premium catalog in years

As you received them one for every dime spent

you’d paste them thirty to a page into thirty-paged redemption books

Sometimes you’d buy an electric fry pan and get pages at a time

More often you got a few buying a buck’s worth of gas

I remember a crazy car dealer once on TV

He offered stamps on the down payment for new cars

You had to go to a redemption center to redeem the books

You could get redeemed for anything

a TV or another electric fry pan or a dozen golf balls

The redeemers wore aprons and rubber fingers

They flipped through your pages

handled the spit and wages of your accomplishment

They gave you the reward you saved for

a little bit of heaven with every visit

A look in the glass

April 12, 1980  (I was 35)

A look in the glass

Me again

Less hair than before

Same lines in an older story

Proud forehead with knots in it

Circled eyes that saw too much

without ever looking

Mouth that said both yes and no

too often

Heart that failed

to warm helping others

Those broken locks groomed by wind

cover a pellet mind within gray stone

Perhaps sustained vision can shatter image

mixed metaphors

from this week in 1980  (I was 35)

         mixed metaphors

Lennon’s on the cover of Esquire

and the moral majority is going to rebuild the world

Old quarterbacks learn to preach

They go to Congress where they can still pitch

the long bomb

My head is between two speakers

Deceptive me slides into the bass

safe for now is the call

I know this is not my game

the bass goes Boom boom boom

and repeats itself

Inspirational Television

from this week in November, 1980  (I was 35)

         Inspirational Television

You’ve got Earl Campbell breaking into the secondary,

He bounces off linebackers pivots outside or inside

then runs like water through an open funnel

You’ve got Carl Sagan bursting out of the solar system.

He articulates the stars, expletives in the void,

brain matter funneling through a black hole.

Then you’ve got Bob Dylan born again like nobody else,

turns down wings and walks the edge of Heaven;

flips the funnel over the audience and gets them looking up.

There’s Johnny Carson coming through the curtain,

nods to Ed, fakes to Doc, illuminates the limelight

and slides the celebs down the couch.

Earl Campbell, Carl Sagan, Dylan and Johnny.

They are so stylish doing what they do

I think polished thoughts driving to work next morning.

You’ve got Kallio moving through the traffic

flashing in and out of grace,

muscle and physical universe, mind and wicked smile.

When I used to be Catholic

November 10, 1980  (I was 35)

When I used to be Catholic

prayers earned indulgences

Years ago people saved S&H Green Stamps

On the west coast people saved Blue Chip Stamps

Maybe some people still do that

but I don’t know where the hell you get the stamps anymore

I haven’t seen a premium catalog in years

As you received them one for every dime spent

you’d paste them thirty to a page into thirty-paged redemption books

Sometimes you’d buy an electric fry pan and get pages at a time

More often you got a few buying a buck’s worth of gas

I remember a crazy car dealer once on TV

He offered stamps on the down payment for new cars

You had to go to a redemption center to redeem the books

You could get redeemed for anything

a TV or another electric fry pan or a dozen golf balls

The redeemers wore aprons and rubber fingers

They flipped through your pages

handled the spit and wages of your accomplishment

They gave you the reward you saved for

a little bit of heaven with every visit