The Second Commandment
is pretty specific: Thou shalt not take
the Name of the Lord Thy God in vain.
It’s one of the few commandments
I seldom break but the other night
I was reading Seamus Heaney
and was torn by the beauty
ringing in my ears and “Jesus Christ! ”
slipped out of my mouth but I
don’t think I said His Name in vain.
I spoke in high praise of a poet who
has left behind a body of work that
leaves me gasping for a respirator.
But the Second Commandment
is pretty specific so I plan to ask
Father Kelly if my 'Jesus Christ! ”
while reading Seamus Heaney
was a mortal sin, and if he says yes,
I’ll be careful reading Heaney again
because if I find better poems
and 'Jesus Christ! ' slips out again
I might have a heart attack and die
pajama-clad in my old recliner.
I could wake up ablaze in Hell.
I'll have to be careful reading
Seamus Heaney again.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Donal, I would say your sin was one of omission rather than comission. You neglected to add to the vocative to inform your listener of the explicit message you intended, “Jesus Christ, that’s a good poem”. Although, I suspect Himself knew what you had in your heart.