Jesus Lives in Little Rock, AR

If Jesus were as he was so long ago
today
He'd be drinking wine
Probably a little more than he should
We would hang out on Tuesdays
Thursdays and Fridays
He would dress for the weather
and keep a spare shirt
and extra pair of shoes
in his back pack
He would think me and my friends were sweet
but would excuse himself
when the conversation turned dark
Pulling me aside later
to tell me
Not everything that makes us laugh
is funny
I would text him late in the night
and ask him to come keep me company
He would respond eventually
Kara Marie Bibb, go to sleep

If Jesus lived in Little Rock Arkansas
tonight
He'd be on cloud nine
Probably humbled by the attention
Thankful for any Tuesday
Thankful for today
He would be dressed to the nines
wearing his best shirt
and a new pair of shoes
from his mother
He would say grace and we all would blush
at the dinner table
(he said a little prayer for me)
Putting us all in our place
gracefully
Not reminding us of our past
or folly
I would be so in love with him
and would worry about his broken heart
He would reassure me he was fine
And I would cry myself to sleep

All the World's a Day

Some mornings
or late in the night
the panic sets in
I feel like an actor
who's memorized their lines
perfectly
then everyone on stage
starts improvising
And I can't stop the play
and scream
"That's not what you're supposed to say."
So I push the panic away
and listen intentsely
to new cues and patterns
Tear myself away from the script
tear myself from the audience
until I know it's my turn
and throw myself into the performance

12 Poems

The bakery never sleeps and we are awake

Our laughter is contagious and smiles are free

How did no one realize that this was happening

Or why are we too dim to know that we all knew

Love is a melody that is singing for you

We are meant to fit into the song of a man

We are born to live in the gaze of a woman

We do it like this all year long and suddenly

The end of the year and the Holidays arrive

The line is intimidating but it's worth it

The bakery is awake and we never sleep

Sharing our secrets, wearing our hearts on our sleeves 

Story of a Pretty Girl: Part II

In the coffee shop

she peeled the blue polish

from her fingernails

and listened to Elvis

Three times she went outside

to smoke cigarettes

Last night she approached a complete stranger

and asked him if he remembered her

He politely dismissed her

and she laughed

and drove herself home