The Tower of Babel
waiting room.
there is
wide frizzy hair
and perfectly
polished nails
holding a bible
and a middle-aged
man with
beard and
glasses leans
over and
asks what
version are you
reading? and
her voice like
a classroom
intercom says
it's the new
catholic study
bible and he
says you should
really have
the King James
because it's
that much
closer to the
word of God
and I want to
say something
while I wait
to have my
prostate checked
I want to say
something about
imperfection and
hypocrisy.
I want to say
that only God
knows what
God ever
says or said.
and the frizzy
hair says yeah,
but I can't take the
thee's and the thou's
and the beard says
there's heresy and
witchcraft in the
me and the you.
I shake my head
at him and her
at their belief
and at the hair on
their faces and heads
and I'm proud
of my non-narrow mind.
my name is called.
the prostate is checked.
I leave the doctor's office
and hop in my truck.
the door creaks
as I open and slam
it shut and the key
turns and the engine
turns and does not
fire and then I
close my eyes and pray.
---
a beer and a half down
and it's been
the day from hell
probably because
a customer tried
to run me over
with his Chevy
cargo van after
I took it
for a test
drive and told
him there
was nothing
wrong with
the brakes
we fixed the
day before
even though
he said they
were squeaking
and shaking
and I thought
they were as
good as
brakes could
be for a
a van trashed
and cluttered
with cracks
in the windshield
and a months
worth of
Taco Bell
wrappers and
winless lotto tickets
thrown all
over the place
and
before he
tried to
run me over he had
spit and fuck yous
flying out of his
mouth despite
the dog eared
bible on the
passenger
seat and Jesus
playing on the
radio and I thought
about Jesus as I
jumped out of his
way as his van
burned rubber
across my
parking lot
barreling
right at me
and I wondered
about the boy
I once was
daydreaming in
Sunday school,
I was David
and
everyone else was
Goliath.
---------
David LaBounty lives in suburban Detroit. He has been in the navy and has also held jobs as a bus boy, a miner, a mechanic, a reporter and a salesman. He is the author of two novels, The Perfect Revolution and The Trinity. His third novel, Affluenza, is under consideration and his first chapbook, Garage Days, will be published by Tainted Coffee Press later this year.
