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Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Francis Takes a Vacation

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Francis has a bad case of the burn-out
He's real tired of this sainting gig
So he figures he'll take himself a little vacation
Do some much needed meditation.

"What you should do is some trout fishing," suggests Neot.
Francis shakes his head and says, "Nah, I wouldn't feel right about that."
"There's great skiing in the Alps this time of year!" says Bernard. "I'll lend you my skis, man."
"What about a nice Caribbean cruise? Work on your tan?" Erasmus taunts.
Francis just sighs.
"Can you picture me in a Speedo, really?"
John, the Baptist, says, "Paterson, NJ is really nice!"
There is silence.
"Sorry," John explains. "I'm the official patron. I'm required to say it."

Francis settles on a quaint little villa in Tuscany
With a vineyard, olive trees, and lots of quiet.
Before he leaves, Dymphna scurries over to him, biting her nails, and stammers,
"What about the animals, Francis? Who will take care of them while you're away?"
Natch. 
Leave it to Dymphna to harsh his mellow.
Francis replies, "Let Darwin take over for a while. Survival of the fittest and all that rot."
And with that, he's off.

Well, I've been marking the calendar since his departure
And I have to tell you that I hope he comes back soon
Because I was driving down the road this morning 
And it looks like a war zone
And the animals are losing bad.
I don't believe the drivers are the ones needing the protection, Chris.

Squashed squirrels litter the street 
Deceased deer on the sidelines like they passed out drunk
And despite my calling on Jude for that turtle
Trying to cross to the greenery on the far side of the median,
I strongly suspect it will become asphalt soup.
How about one more glass of Chianti, Francis?
And then please get back to work.

8 comments:

Brian Miller said...

sobering ending to a rather fanciful beginning..had me chuckling and then roadkill...

JustRex said...

It would be nice if somebody were actually looking out for the animals. But I do suspect that some of those so-called 'Saints' were just lunatics.

nene said...

You actually made me cry. I lament, the squirrels, the deer, the birds and on and on. I feel closer to that species most days than the bi-pedal ones that supposedly have a soul and heart.

Love your creativity and oh by the way, like the way your heart beats, also.

Fireblossom said...

darn slacker!

Jingle said...

insightful

what a fantastic story.
Happy Potluck!

Bryan White said...

You must be driving the same stretch of road to work that I do. I also see a crazy amount of roadkill, and out on the highway I've seen them leave animals there for weeks. St. Francis isn't the only one not doing his job.

Kay said...

Fascinating read. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Wowsers! From light to heavy in the space of a stanza! Loved the blindside~