Two Poems by Phyllis Cole-Dai

WHEN THEY COME KNOCKING

& demand we obey
       we will not have knees to bend

& demand we leave
       we will not have feet to go

& demand we believe
       we will not have heads to nod

& demand we ignore the law
       we will not have eyes to shut

& demand we scapegoat
       we will not have fingers to point

& demand we snitch
       we will not have lips to tell

& demand we work
       we will not have backs to break

& demand we give them money
       we will not have noses to pay through

& demand we fight
       we will not have arms to bear

but when they demand we cook for them
       we will have hands to fix in our kitchen

such a sumptuous feast of won’ts and don’ts
       they will starve as they gorge at our table

                     After the “Ten Commandments” published by Večerní Praha
                     in the aftermath of the Soviet invasion, 1968

*

THE SHORTEST

I wiggled
in the pew
fussing
in my new Sunday dress
and patent leather shoes
and they told me
it’s true
Jesus wept
is the shortest verse
and I waited
for them to tell me
how that could be
cause when
my mama cried
it was never short
it was big as the house
and the world beyond it too
and when they couldn’t tell me
why that was
I began to stop
listening to them
and listened instead
to all the crying
all around
they didn’t seem to hear
cause maybe
I could catch the falling
tears
in the cup of my ears
and save them
for someone in need
of a little drink
and that’s when
my little mind
began to think
that little verse
in that big black book
had to be so short
cause even
the ears of Jesus
big as God
just couldn’t
hold no more

*

Phyllis Cole-Dai resides in Maryland. She’s the author or editor of more than a dozen books, including the popular Poetry of Presence volumes of mindfulness poems. She invites you to hop aboard The Raft, her online community.