Click It or Ticket, or, The Fear o the Lord's the Beginnin o Wisdom

A poem from the September 2024 installment, "Foxholes, False Gospels, and Fear"

I've looked at my phone—77 in a 70—
after lookin for cops, like you have.
No love for life; we save lives
but only to save 50 bucks.

We fail to love even our own lives.
We refuse to put our seatbelts on
unless they threaten to take 50 bucks.

Fear does what love would.

Like Simon o Cyrene,
fear carries love’s cross
once we’ve casually, carelessly—

almost... accidentally—
beaten love bloodless 
and pushed love outta the world... 

all the while, love prayin,
“Father, forgive em.
They don’t have a clue...”