Dogs 2020

Thomas, No Doubt
(12/24/2020)

every
Christmas
Eve

I unshelve
a thin
black covered
volume

from
the spiritual
section
of my meager
library

the spare
simple lines
of a teacher

of a rabbi

Gnostic
I know

a Coptic
copy
maybe

pagan
paraphrasing
perhaps

but it
seems
far more
real
to me

I see
more hope
in such prosaic
parables

than in any
fantastic
action-packed

miracle-laden

Gospel
counterparts

give me
some plain
instructions

and I
might

just

believe them