Benediction

Look in your hearts, (Jocasta says,)
where Gods and Goddesses live,
and know that God is not a
daddy-with-a-strap,
tossing the rooms of your souls
to find your stash
of girlie mags and cigarettes!

Today we've turned away
the people who like to
scowl and point; who say,
"You must," or, "You must not;"
who warm their hearts with
thoughts of souls roasting.

Today we've turned away
the greedy people who
have picked up these scowlers,
these pointers, as pawns;
the slick salesmen who want
to dampen our passions
and replace them with things.

Today, we slow.
We will give our nerves time to explore,
to compare silk with skin,
and baking with barbecue,
and dutiful with deranged.
Today is for
sweat and sunshine,
ground-in grass stains
and freshly washed cotton,
old leather baseball gloves
and red rubber playground balls,
harmony and cacophony
and the shush of the stream
over a million river-worn pebbles.

Let no one scold or shame you into behaving!
Savor every sense!
Revel in the real while the sun shines,
for tonight, illusion rules!