Jesus

Jesus

1.
Jesus came through my line at the grocery store.
Jesus smelled bad. Maybe it wasn't Jesus.
Maybe it was Elvis.
Elvis came through my line buying
canned sweet peas and soy milk.
Elvis was so loud and stinky,
the other customers went back to the aisles
pretending they'd forgotten something.
Elvis tried to pay with a third party check.
I told Elvis our policy against this.
Elvis was upset.
Elvis made me call John, the manager.
John has sideburns.
They look better on him than they did on Elvis.
Maybe it wasn't Elvis. John didn't think so.
He wouldn't take the check, even with ID.
I didn't see the ID. I forgot to ask.
That's why John's the manager
and I can't even get a date from Sarah
in the bakery. John can't either, though.
So there's that.

2.
Jesus came through my line at the grocery store. Jesus smelled bad. Maybe it wasn't Jesus. Maybe it was Elvis. Elvis came through my line buying canned sweet peas and soy milk. Elvis was so loud and stinky, the other customers went back to the aisles pretending they'd forgotten something. Elvis tried to pay with a third party check. I told Elvis our policy against this. Elvis was upset. Elvis made me call John, the manager. John has sideburns. They look better on him than they did on Elvis. Maybe it wasn't Elvis. John didn't think so. He wouldn't take the check, even with ID. I didn't see the ID. I forgot to ask. That's why John's the manager and I can't even get a date from Sarah in the bakery. John can't either, though. So there's that.



C.L. Bledsoe

Posted over on Right Hand Pointing .
From his new Chapbook, GOODBYE TO NOISE.
1. Line breaks by Glenn Buttkus for this site.
2. Original prose poem by Cortney.