Unholy Communion Poem by Damien Kaniewski

Born into the confines of parochial subjugation,
beneath the glare of the redundant red brick edifice,
the black and white battle of black and white,
watched by apple-cheeked clergy and the ubiquitous cross,

Infants ceremoniously absolved of original sin,
lovingly swaddled in ornate christening robes,
immersed in the gilded roman marble font,
spirits cleansed, with the holy water of guilt,

Copious drinks imbibed in joyous celebration,
by inebriated, clown-nosed, maternal uncles,
ties ajar, around a stained deck of cards,
avoiding the sartorially immaculate undertaker's stare,

Obligatory weekly contrition confirmed,
knelt, in the dank confines of the confessional,
penitent, accepting continuous emotional rape
we all become one in this unholy communion,

In pristine uniform of blood and snow cassock,
from ornate oak lecterns gospels eloquently narrated,
by a nervous child judged by assembled bigots in congregation,
and appropriate conditions of worth applied.