James Babbs

Jesus In the Hallway

he leans against the wall
because
I put him there
at the end of the hallway
until I can figure out
what I want to do with him
I brought him home with me
from my mother’s house
where for years
he hung on the wall
out on the front porch
above the freezer
always looking the same
maybe
when I’m drunk
I’ll try talking to him
maybe
I’ll ask him
what the hell he was thinking
when he agreed to die
for all of our sins and
is it too late
too late for me to be forgiven
for all the terrible things I’ve done

James Babbs continues to live and write from the same small Illinois town where he grew up.  He has published hundreds of poems over the past thirty years and, recently, a few short stories.  James is the author of Disturbing The Light (2013) & The Weight of Invisible Things (2013).