PAGE #18

MIPOesias Magazine ~  ISSN 1543-6063 Volume 15 ~ January to March 2004

artist Cheryl Townsend

The End Of 
The Twentieth Century
by Laurence Overmire

Jesus walked into the Donut Shop
But of course no one recognized him
Why should they?
He hadn't been seen for quite awhile.
He sat down at the counter
Next to a couple of cops.
The waitress said, "You want a donut?"
Jesus answered, "Have you got mustard seed?"
"No. Poppy seed."
"It's not the same thing."
"A cup of coffee?"
"I don't have any money."
At this point, the cops were getting
Quite annoyed at this foul-smelling
Stranger with the matted hair.
"Hey you got no money, you can't
come in here, okay, pal? Move it."
A businessman sneezed as Jesus
Walked past, out the door and
Into the street.
He disappeared of course.
And it will probably be at least
Another century or two before
Anyone ever sees him again.

I threw a brightly orange
pest-infested nasturtium plant
into the sea, roots and all

and saw an equally flame-coloured
jellyfish lurk translucently, threads
spread to burn, behind a rock:

"Now all things are possible!"
-- in a speech-bubble, I swear:
"Pigs will fly, nasturtiums swim,

my dreaded tendrils will sink
in dark flower-box soil, my face will feel
the summer breeze behind green leaves

and there will be sweet water
from a white enamel jug."

poem © laurence overmire 2004. all rights reserved.

poem © karin henderson 2004. all rights reserved.

Laurence Overmire is an American actor, director, writer who has worked on stage, film and television. His poetry, eclectic in form and often provocative in its direct confrontation of social issues, has been widely published in the U.S. and abroad, including "The American Muse," "Kimera," "Main Street Rag Poetry Journal," "Lynx: Poetry from Bath," "Stirring," "Cotyledon," "Thunder Sandwich," "Samsara Quarterly," "Jack Magazine," "Free Zone Quarterly," "Pogonip," "Kookamonga Square" and many others.

Karin Henderson -- Lives in Norway where she works as a conference interpreter.