Not Black & White

Joey was swimming in Sulphur Creek,

mother can tell because his eyes are yellow,

and he reeks of rotten eggs. Joey protests

that it's hot and she won't give him ten

dollars for a pool pass good for the summer.

What's ten dollars anyway? Mother don't

work and father supports her and six kids.

It's the early 60's and Joey swears he saw

the priest over at Saint Jude's pull

a girl out of the confessional by her hair.

The priest was mad because he couldn't

hear the girl. She's a bit retarded

and the old priest is miserable. He talks about

money all the time, and what can a pagan baby

do with ten dollars? Well, Father Bingodian

from the outer Slobobian missions is with

us today, and I'm sure Father will share

his stories of how evil idolaters sacrifice

poor pagan babies and how ten dollars,

the price of sinful pleasures to our young people,

how a measly ten bucks can save one pagan

baby from the fires of perdition. Now,

don't you feel guilty, Joey? Mother says

she's donating the pool pass money to save

a pagan baby from the sulphur pits of hell.

She sits at the kitchen table watching Johnny

Carson. It's late Friday night and Joey is

watching with her. Dean Martin is singing

"Make the World Go Away" and acting drunk.

Mother sips her Windsor and water and

watches Dino raise his arms like

Christ welcoming sinners. Joey is

still mad at his mother for donating his

pool-pass money. He hides a smile, fighting

to stay mad at mother who's falling for the slop

ol' Dino is dishing, making the Friday

night ritual complete: mix the water

in the whiskey, add some freezer-burnt ice,

light a menthol coffin nail, lean forward

on that table and watch Dino in his

double-breasted coat, shirt open at the collar

revealing a chain of gold or silver,

though it's difficult to know for sure.

She's too tired to care about things

not black & white.