Wednesday, January 04, 2012

STATUES OF JUDAS

by Marc Janssen


Outside the bank
Someone erected a geometric deposit
A statue of sorts
The boring kind.

There are not too many statues
Of St. Francis outside of banks.
The kind of statue
A Catholic kid would stop and look up to, his hand shading his eyes from the sun.

There are not too many statues
Of Martin Luther King outside of banks.
Well, minorities aren’t really the best customers…
So why bother.

There are not too many statues
Of Jonas Salk outside of banks.
Holding a test tube, that fills with water so birds could sit on his arm and freely drink.

No, this is an abstract,
A purely intellectual representation.
A series of banal blocks in multi-colors
It is difficult to see, but if you look long enough,
Really look.
It will kiss you on the cheek.


Marc Janssen has written poetry seriously for more than two decades. After earning a Bachelors Degree in Communication Arts from California Lutheran University he worked as a copywriter for the world’s largest tool catalog company. A veteran of the Ventura, California poetry scene, he relocated to Oregon in 1998 where the natural landscapes and healthy doses of rain have provided inspiration. Janssen has been published in a number of magazines and journals including most recently The Gold Man Review, Bellowing Ark, and Morning Glory.
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