1. a man in relation
to his child or children.
2. (often as a title
or form of address)
a priest.
I did not find god in my father
and I did not find a father
in God. I found, instead,
a picture of a man with teeth
as white as priest’s robes,
as white as perfect clouds.
I called him /Leonard/,
that man, the sperm donor.
What does God say about
men like him? What does
He say about children
who live like me?
Tomorrow I will redefine
Father, and priest, and God.
I will drink the son’s blood
like syrupy medicine;
I will spend Sunday morning
digging knees into the carpet,
and clasp my hands, bow my head,
prepare for death
or salvation, both.
I will hope for /never/
and watch time drain this photo
of color and warmth,
the skin that matches mine
lightening into a bleached
image of God, so
what will God say about
himself?