"Pope feels 'pain and shame' over Chile sex abuse scandal."

[Kate Burnham]

"Pope feels 'pain and shame' over Chile sex abuse scandal."

Jorge Mario Bergoglio—

God’s representative on Earth,

Christ’s emissary

shedding words

instead of bleeding

out his heart

for the people,

the individual,

the human

damned,

the beatific blessed



Pope Francis—

antithesis of

Messiah’s empathic

nature-nurture

Jesus—God as man

apologized for

everything,

for the irreparable harm,

by dying

the time for saying sorry and

forgiving is over



these might as well be

the end times for all the good

sorry will do us

Death coming, riding a pale horse

of apology

parishioners and perpetrators

alike, acting shocked

that pedophiles are

more likely

to be parents, teachers,

priests, physicians, therapists, babysitters—



access to one’s drug of choice

is nine-tenths of the law of

being an abuser

trusting authority nine-tenths of

being a victim

don’t act so fucking shocked,

and stop pandering for apologies

blind faith got us here

repression got us here

expectations of decency

in strangers got us here



crucify your illusions,

kill your darlings,

and stop giving a shit about

what the Pope says

speak out for yourselves

be ye never silent

in the pew,

on your knees,

head bent,

eyes cast down,

with God melting in your mouth.


www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-42704927

[shailen scott]

I enjoy your use of bible rhetoric in the last few lines. I low-key want to know what is the 1/10.
The beginning of the article threw me off because I thought they were accusing Pope Francis looking at the header, but I like how your poem has this air of condemnation and made clear what the article was getting at.

[maranda]

God melting in your mouth.

really like this.

[laurenjacquish]

Jan 17, 2018 0:56:42 GMT shailen scott said:

I enjoy your use of bible rhetoric in the last few lines. I low-key want to know what is the 1/10.
The beginning of the article threw me off because I thought they were accusing Pope Francis looking at the header, but I like how your poem has this air of condemnation and made clear what the article was getting at.

"nine-tenths of the law" is an idiom: possession is nine-tenths of the law...so I think what Kate is trying to say is the congregation/followers is/are treated as possession/ 
"access to one’s drug of choice
is nine-tenths of the law of
being an abuser
trusting authority nine-tenths of
being a victim" 
These lines are tricky. I am not sure they are really working in my brain. They're a little cryptic. Do you mean that nearly everyone is a victim of the church because they are allowing themselves to follow authority? I can see that. I do think it is interesting to think about 9/10 because of what happens to the heirarchy in a church when it splits due to issues like this. Who really owns it? How are those cases settled?  I think it is weird that YOU found this article on this day. Another reason to protest. 

The first two stanzas are much easier to digest/absorb. It is helpful that you wrote out what these figures are supposed to represent in order to contrast their abuses of power.

this section:
"don’t act so fucking shocked,
(...)
expectations of decency
in strangers got us here"

gets a little preachy (I made a pun!)

"kill your darlings," this line is overused.

[whoismisterjim]

Jan 17, 2018 4:08:15 GMT laurenjacquish said:

Jan 17, 2018 0:56:42 GMT shailen scott said:

this section:
"don’t act so fucking shocked,
(...)
expectations of decency
in strangers got us here"

gets a little preachy (I made a pun!)

"kill your darlings," this line is overused.

Does anyone else feel that this tone is too didactic? Is it consistent with the voice of the poem? Could it be pared back? 

[Kate Burnham]

Jan 17, 2018 16:23:53 GMT whoismisterjim said:

Jan 17, 2018 4:08:15 GMT laurenjacquish said:

this section:
"don’t act so fucking shocked,
(...)
expectations of decency
in strangers got us here"

gets a little preachy (I made a pun!)

"kill your darlings," this line is overused.

Does anyone else feel that this tone is too didactic? Is it consistent with the voice of the poem? Could it be pared back? 

Yes, me, I agree. I’ve been in preachy didactic mode.

[Brielle Kroner]

Jan 17, 2018 1:09:58 GMT maranda said:

God melting in your mouth.

really like this.

Yes, this is gorgeous.