Herod

Pilate sent the Galilean to Herod,
a middle-manager if there ever was one,
and Herod whooped in his delight that he
would get the prophet to work him a miracle.
But Jesus stayed silent and wouldn’t lift a finger to
bend a spoon or pull a leper out of a wineskin. Herod
and his lackeys scoffed and jeered without evoking
a response. They yukked it up, dressing the teacher
in a gorgeous coat of many colors and sent him
back on his path to naked death on the tree,
as Herod took a nap and slept like a baby.

Patrick T. Reardon is the author of eight books, including Requiem for David, a poetry collection published in 2017 by Silver Birch Press, and Faith Stripped to Its Essence, a literary-religious commentary on Shusaku Endo’s Silence, the basis of the recent Martin Scorsese movie, published in 2016 by ACTA. Reardon worked for 32 years as a reporter with the Chicago Tribune, specializing in urban affairs, and is now writing a book about the untold story of the impact of the elevated railroad Loop on the stability and development of Chicago. His essays, book reviews and poetry have appeared frequently in American and European publications.