Confession

Typical of Confession, “Salvation”:

I ask you, “Who would live to die a saint?”
To scorch the feet on desert sands;
To strike the thigh with leather bands;
To starve; to kneel in prayer until one faints:
Oh no, I would not want to be a saint.
Neither would I be a martyr,
Boiled in oil or fried in sulfur,
Or fed to toothy beasts without complaint.
What then?  Vivisection?  My toe in Rome,
My ear in Bath, my tongue in Paris,
My collar bone the source of bliss
To pilgrims on a pilgrimage?  No.  Home
Will be the place for me.  The reliquary
Is for saints: Sinners may write poetry.