Creed

The original version of this was never posted here, or anywhere…since it was written in 1974, when I was 14.  I found it in my first spiral bound collection of poems that I’ve saved since those teen years.  Most of the poems are typical adolescent dreck with a heaping side of drug references, but I thought the concept behind this one was interesting. The first three couplets are direct quotes from the original poem; after that, the original is pretty flowery and hard to follow, but the images are the same.

I believe in
cheating on my childhood church.

I believe in 
closing my eyes during the scary parts.

I believe in 
the efficacy of crossed fingers.

I believe in
a spirit inside my rabbit’s foot.

I believe in 
a bag of smooth rubbed stones.

I believe
whatever I whisper at an altar will be heard.

I believe
whatever I hear next will be the right response.

I believe
everything, everywhere can be an altar.