Faith

The man on the bus stop talks about the government the same way
my grandmother used to talk about God.
He tells me the things he believes in the same way
my grandmother used to tell me about her church, as if
he’s challenging me to doubt him
doubt the miniseries of conspiracies running in his head.

Being a good granddaughter, I just nod my head and smile
because who am I to doubt that all evil is based on the number seven
or that the government’s trying to get rid of pennies
because only quarters have microchips in them
or that the media’s trying to turn all of America towards Satanism
or that guys will think I’m a dirty girl because my bra strap’s hanging out?

Holly Day’s poetry has recently appeared in Slipstream, Penumbric, and Maintenant. She is the co-author of the books, Music Theory for Dummies and Music Composition for Dummies and currently works as an instructor at The Richard Hugo Center in Seattle and at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. Read other articles by Holly.