Bethlehem
By Patrick T. Reardon
Motel sign, blinking, blinking, blinking:
“Jesus Christ slept here.”
Put up a theme park with dioramas
and interactive learning centers
and miniature railroad circuits
and, as one of the attractions,
a You-Are-Crucified ride
that ends in a big splash of death
and then a quiet slide to redemption.
Or oblivion in the
Tunnel of Love.
Patrick T. Reardon
7.29.19
Originally published in Ariel Chart on 7.8.19.
Written by : Patrick T. Reardon
For more than three decades Patrick T. Reardon was an urban affairs writer, a feature writer, a columnist, and an editor for the Chicago Tribune. In 2000 he was one of a team of 50 staff members who won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. Now a freelance writer and poet, he has contributed chapters to several books and is the author of Faith Stripped to Its Essence. His website is https://patricktreardon.com/.