Chemical Baptism

The priest wore a suit
on the day he baptized us
in the rivers of
southern Appalachia
and when we came up
our skin blistered
our stomachs imploded
The beauty of chemical religion
God shows love through
dehydration
filth
and he powers our lives
So what if He
made a mistake
and ordered our bodies
to tear themselves
apart
for His love?

Gardening With Maurice

On the day I walked

through Eden

where the roses

grew forever

and choked out

the sun

Eve dug her rusted nails

into my jaw

and rammed her foot

through my

ribcage

Then she fell

into a puddle of ash

and was whisked away

with the dodos

and the dinosaurs

It was better

than my first kiss

It was better

than being

God