"Charlie's Inferno" by Charles Joseph
Last week I met up
with an old friend
at a local bar
and after
a few drinks
he asked me why
I still believe in God
heaven and hell
and all that drivel
the priests and nuns
poured into our ears
when we were kids
and I told him
that it's because
I've seen God
in many people
Beelzebub in others
and seeing is believing
or at least an indication
that there’s a chance
someone or something
is up there
or down there
patiently waiting
for you
to quick draw
your death card.
To which he said,
“That’s ridiculous,”
and laughed so hard
he turned ruby red,
grew horns, black wings,
and a long forked tail,
and then he
offered to buy
the next round
and the next
and the next
and the next
if I denounced
my FAITH
and followed him
and believe it or not
even though I was flat broke
I turned him down
like a good Christian solider
or at least like someone
with enough common sense
to know that the devil’s
always in the details
and in most men and women
who are motivated
to sell you their side
of GOOD versus EVIL.
"Reality Check" by Charles Joseph
Show me
a man or woman
who is
one hundred percent
perfect, moral,
selfless, and true,
and together
we can all search
for a valley
of wild flowers
that will never
wilt and die.