Moving with the Speed of Molasses

Moving with the speed of molasses
My mind regurgitates
Various scenarios ridiculous and not so
Mercilessly assaulting my sense of self and security
Leaving me tired and untrusting and pissed off
At myself, at you, at the trees and the kids and the smiling faces
In the crowded city streets that seem to mock me
and laugh at me with their knowledge of happiness and kindness
and Sanity
that mythological creature that exists in the dreams of my childhood
that once was there to champion me from the monster under the bed
or the dragon in the closet
or the belt in daddy’s drawer
or the slap at the end of daddy’s arm
or the tears at the end of mommy’s day
as she wipes the ketchup off the floor of her heart
and cleans the splattered mustard and vinegar cocktail off of her
tired and hungry soul
as we watch
we three kings of peanut butter jar
as mommy smiles and cleans and cleans and cries
and screams for Mr. Sanity to come and take her away to her
Calgon Club Med
Where the sheets are always clean and dinner is always perfect and
Always eaten on irreplaceable but unbreakable china
With shiny silver spoons with emblems and
Family crests and teapots spilling forth golden teas
From China and Africa and India and other places that don’t really exist
Where the puppies are always clean and full and happy and the kitties
Need only their catnip and balls of string to wile away the lazy days
Of selfless pleasures
Where the children cry
Only because they skinned their knees
Or lost their tea or some such silly hindrance to happiness
Where blood is a color only imagined in the occasional nightmare
Caused by eating entirely too much chocolate or gingerbread or
Some other triviality in the course of an irrepressibly spontaneous and
Unstructured day of obtaining life’s essence in a hand basket that isn’t reserved for
Trips to hell
But trips to the toy store or the candy store or the bakery to pick up loaves of love
To distribute to the kids at Christmas to go with their big fat synthetic turkeys
On Christmas day because they don’t shoot turkeys, do they?
Sleigh bells ring as we listen to tales of long nights of Jesus
Chillin’ in the manger with Ma Mary and Pa Joseph ringing in a
Whole new perspective that didn’t quite take because there were just
Too many people with bad attitudes and even worse habits who really
Liked to do stuff that wasn’t quite right and sometimes very wrong
And this Jesus person became quite vocal in his opinions and teachings and
He pissed a lot of people off, partly because he scared them but mostly because
He was right
And so they beat him up
Hung him out to dry
Persecuted his people
And generally made a big ruckus over the fact that Jesus had a great idea:

Just be nice to each other!