Maybe

Maybe

Poem for Chuck H.

I met Jesus on my walk today

Didn't recognize him at first, we were both a bit

grayer.

He was walking his dog, Miss Ellie

She'd been just a pup last time I saw her Back

around the time I played his Herod

And they brought him to me, bound

He refused to do his tricks,

So I'd put him in a robe and sent

Him on his bloody way

This time we hugged, and caught up

On who had passed away and who was still

Alive—how nice it was to resurrect

Old times like that

He smiled to hear I'd come to town

To be a minister

You have a church yet? he asked

At first, of course, I thought he'd got

The cart before the horse…

Until I thought, what if we ministered

Our way into church instead

Of churching our way around ministry?

What if we believed our way into religion instead

Of religioning our way right out of belief?

What if instead of an icon or a bookstore label

Or a t-shirt screen print or a bumper sticker fish

Or a cussword or a sanctimonious set of rules

"Jesus"

Was a guy you could run into

Out walking his dog, a guy who could converse

About the people you both knew who were

Dying or living or walking their dogs

And looking for ministers, believers and guys named Jesus

Instead of churches, religion and one more

Multi-step justification?

What if we met him, you and I, and made a plan

To meet over coffee and a bagel next week—

No tricks—just some time to catch up?

I'll pay…? he'd offer

And maybe we'd let him.