“This is a tremendous social crisis, greater even than the issue of slavery”
–The Rev. Hayes Wicker on a proposed Florida state constitutional ban on same sex marriage
Naples Daily News, April 17, 2008

“All right, then, I’ll go to hell”
–Huckleberry Finn on deciding to go against his society's religious beliefs and not send Jim back into slavery

i dreamt i watched fox news
broadcast the sermon on the mount
it appeared to be in an amphitheatre
like oak mountain in birmingham
but it could have been anywhere
red rocks chastain park or woodstock
jesus stood on a large stage with banners
huge speakers and jumbotron screens
but the crowd was a little disappointing
a few thousand perhaps but not the tens
of thousands one would expect at such
a monumental and historical occasion

jesus did not look anything like those haloed
representations that have been passed down
and programmed into us through the centuries
he had strong almost exaggerated jewish
features but it was hard to tell if he was
a dark-skinned white guy or a light-skinned
black guy he did have beard but it was a little
unkempt and his dreadlocks were quite radical

the text of his sermon was a fairly faithful
version of matthew’s account only slightly
modernized from the rsv but his preaching
style was unexpected he was not the calm
laid back font of gentleness you’ve seen
in the movies and stained glass windows
he was angry and animated perhaps even
a little agitated speaking in a tone somewhere
between an inspired martin luther king and
a particularly irate reverend jeremiah wright

don’t get me wrong he was good very good
in fact but you had to allow yourself to let go
a little to truly hear what he was saying
and the crowd didn’t seem to be willing
they seemed a bit agitated actually like they
were a little put off possibly even offended
by some of the things jesus was saying
there were even a couple of places where
people prominently jeered and booed

there were also some coincidental
and fateful ironies in fox’s broadcast
early in the sermon when jesus stated that
the meek are blessed and will inherit the earth
the ubiquitous news crawl at the bottom of the
screen cried out that tensions between the us
and iran were reaching a critical state and after
jesus had finished with the beatitudes and was
shouting something or other about turning
the other cheek the chyron graphic called out
boldly beneath him blessed are the peacemakers
and mere moments after the title changed
to something about calls for abolishing the law
of the prophets the crawl below announced
almost prophetically a new request for
additional funding to support our efforts in iraq

just when jesus was getting to the part about
serving two masters and the judgment of others
fox cut away to bill o’reilley back in the studio
who looked up into the camera shaking his head
and with an oh my god expression in his eyes
asked with some annoyance can you believe this guy
he then muttered something about how this country
needs to get back to traditional american family values
gathered himself and announced that we should
be sure to tune in later tonight for his inspiring
interview with the reverend hayes wicker
who has made some of the most important statements
to date on the biggest issue currently facing our society

the color of azaleas
paints a sea of intense pink
a signature purplish pink
that is satiatingly splattered
against a backdrop of
nascent luminescence
against the initial greens
of the coming spring

this symphony of shades
is frequently framed by
the haggard austere reverence
of mossy mobile live oaks
that drape city streets
with a quiet and subtle
dignity and so eloquently
symbolize the timeless
character and ageless beauty
of an old city seeking new birth

the azalea trail runs aimlessly
through midtown mobile
winding through countless
picturesque old neighborhoods
linking stunningly stately mansions
with humbler nearby cottages
it curves in endless arrhythmic lines
of semiotic sensuousness exquisitely
exhibited in a haphazard hedge of
harmonious hieroglyphics bringing
renewal and repeated resurrection
and when easter comes early
the view from my front porch swing
explodes with sensual significations

yet the colorful azaleas
fleeting and ephemeral
mere momentary markers of
dying march quickly wither
to trodden mottled nothingness
yet are also a splendid signifier
of still emerging spring
a splash of celebrated sublimity
however brief bringing
sufficient sustenance and
spiritual restoration for
those subsequent and more
mundane months until march
returns and we find regeneration
in next spring’s sea of purplish pink
underneath the languid live oaks