“I have other sheep that are not of this fold, them also I must bring…”
(John 10:16).
Increasingly known are the perils of secondhand Jesus
Those who whiplash their way from San Antonio Aguas Caliente
over the rutted wash
in converted Blue Bird school busses
named King of All He Surveys
and My Savior Who Other
purring Chuj and Popti
four to a seat
in huipiles and thonged tire sandals
toddlers dangling from tzute cloth slings
are at particular risk
Those who bend to pull their daily bread
from market trash mounds
Those whose evening light comes from spent can votives
who follow barrio curs to hidden watering holes
and burrow their sleep into spent tarp bails
under cardboard lean-tos
Stunting is an obvious issue
as are: the urge toward groundless appreciation
and spontaneous genuflection
before any mystery
or cruciform construction