My Future Wife - The Hope of the Smell of Tree Bark

* dedicated to St Paul
* dedicated to my future wife…


I had this thought the other day whilst departing from the adoration chapel at Saint John Neumann Catholic church in Gaithersburg Maryland, my nose recognizing a strong scent of burning wood: “MY WIFE REMINDS ME OF TREE BARK!!!!”….now you may be wondering..WTF??? (that’s what the freak Pope Francis, I promise!!!) …Well guys, let me explain. St Paul, pray for me.


-------------------/Paul; My Future Wife Smells Like Tree Bark

One day, I suppose, we all want our hearts
to sail towards, and land on Malta,
island of solace;
moratorium from winds and pernicious waves of dejection
that threaten shipwreck. There, like a hodgepodge of grizzled men,
as exotic and dazzling as strange and off-putting
wild hairs, missing teeth, big noses, waywardly placed tribal jewelry
(making martyrs out of lips and ears)
our erstwhile memories of dating sit and have discourse,
probably under the spells of strong drink
cursing horrid lovers of the past like
tossing sticks and sand in a bonfire of consignment
in honor of new beginnings-
their names our ashes, their memories smoke rising into ether
the scars they gave us lost at sea. Like spitting in it. 
 And I swear loneliness is a viper dangling,
getting older and failing to meet new girls like slithering
venomous fears of being unwanted, sharp fangs latching,
lunging at me when I presume to settle on peace
the pain piercing, drawing blood from my hands.  
Yet whenever I get bit I think of you,
the vivid expression of joy in your brilliant eyes
when we first meet
the palpitations of my heart my inner spirit singing praise,
I shake off notions of the unmarried as a snake in flames.
My faith in us,
like an Apostle called forth by the Lord heralding Gospel:
(the good news that we are destined for each other no matter what),
sitting on an old log next to old memories befuddled
that that serpent of pessimism didn’t kill him
but only made him stronger…
smelling the sweet savor of the wood before him
burning with future passion.


-----------------Acts 28:1-6
Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta.  And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold.  But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.  So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.”  But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.  However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.