Jesus said, “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18:6).
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be the nameless & unnamed
Give us this day our daily news—
decades of abusers now accused
Deliver us from evil
I do not forgive priests who hurt little children
No matter how much they confess
or kneel or swish with holy water
No matter how many catechisms
or pilgrimages or prayers to the Virgin
I do not forgive pedophiles
or those who look the other way
They can drink the communion cup
until their bladder fills, explodes the prostate—
stuff their mouth with wafers, white as chastity
They can choke on this spotless body
rendered for them, offered for healing
of sickness and removal of sins
May they aspirate halfway through
their Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned—
both the confessor and the falsely penitent
Then let them burn
Let them burn
Amen.
This poem was first published at Poetry 24 in August 2018.
Marissa Glover is a teacher and writer who shares her thoughts more than necessary, which she considers a form of charitable giving. If it counted as a tax deduction, she’d be rich. Her poetry has been published at Easy Street, The Opiate, Lipstick Party Magazine, Unbroken Journal, and Muddy River Poetry Review, among others. Follow her on Twitter @_MarissaGlover_.
Whisper and the Roar 
This is powerful writing.
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