AUTHOR: Sage Francis



"Find God!" exclaimed the man, who lost everything he owned, looking stoned



I groaned back, "Find a jobhere's an application." 



Retaliation:



"Here's a pamphlet."



I said, "Fuck this damn shit."



My man flipped



and threw his hand into his pocket.



Pulled out a bible



with a design that looked tribal



The Next Testament was its title



"Look it over."



"A book? Nosuhwhat the hell does this have to offer?"



A small mirror on the bottom labeled "author"



that's too impersonal



Irreversible



actions leave our mind scarred



looking for the answers. "Find God!"



he said again.



But I'm a veteran



knowing that you are no better than



or worse than.



He compared my last enemy to my first friend.



This bum gave me his shirt's pen



"What the heck?



You're completely tapped, thinking that I'm gonna' write you out a check."



He said, "What?" I said, "WHAT!" Snatched the book in hopes of finding



a myth. Lifted up the front coverbroke the binding.



"I bring peace, love happiness and unity!"



Usually I blow it off, but I said, "That ain't what you do to me. What you do to me



is bring pain, hate, ignorance, and false alternatives to my community."



He sat back and thought it over.



With a look that's sort of sober



He stared me in the eye and saidI don't lie



(Him or me? Me or him?)



Now we begin



to quarrel



over what's historical



but that's immoral



questioning the oracle's origin.



We're born through sin.



"You need to save yourself," he said.



"But Jesus died for our sins." Then he said, "He ain't dead."



"He faked his death?"



I watched my man take a breath



as if he had no more patience left.



Then he embraced his chest.



Looked as if the holy spirit was about to manifest



itself.



Mental health



is what he lacked. I should have known this.



Without God, when we die every Earthling is homeless.



I couldn't look. Tried to give him back his book.



As he shook. But it was stuck to my hand



What the fGod d



Embellished in sin and with a devilish grin



This denizen could tell that I was selfish within



He started speaking in tongues that I'm unfamiliar with.



I held the pen like a knife and threatened, "I kill your myth!"



Civilians drift



into a state of violent anger.



I can tell when I'm in danger



so I stoppedto take a breather.



"Listen, I'm a non-believer



with no faith, and I don't want none either



it's time for me to leave ya'



take your book,



I ain't no crook."



He said, "It's yourslike the worldread it goodthere's directions."



I flipped through the pages, but they were blankno deceptions.



He mentioned, "Look deeper. You'll see it says more



than you could share. I asked, "Where?" He replies, "That's what

the

pen's for."