Chad Parenteau
Resistance Tankas, Reel 10
Gun-rights Rally Jesus Tanka
Gun-rights rally Je-
sus walks over holy ground
of other martyrs,
shouting their half-written prayers,
drowning out fright-filled whispers.
Lev Parnas Jesus Tanka, Take Two
Lev Parnas Jesus
lets fly a flock of roosters
to hover over
anyone and everyone
who says, I don’t know this man!
Marie Yovanovitch Jesus Tanka
They are still watching
M. Yovanovitch Jesus.
She’s had visitors.
May be eating now. We’ll see
if this is the last supper.
#HoseRepublican Jesus Tanka
It’s only water
#HoseRepublican Jesus
spouts holy water,
anoints himself every day.
No, there are no tapes of it.
Mike Pompeo Jesus Tanka
In case he asks, don’t
tell Mike Pompeo Jesus
where it says he should
die like a martyr. Don’t point
to a bible or a cross.
Private Banker Jesus Tanka
Outside embassy,
Private Banker Jesus sits
wishing for a sign,
wanting to give a signal
to call out for the first stone.
Chad Parenteau is the author of Patron Emeritus (FootHills Publishing, 2013). His work has appeared in Tell-Tale Inklings, Queen Mob’s Tea House, The Skinny Poetry Journal, Ibbetson Street, and Wilderness House Literary Review. He serves as associate editor of Oddball Magazine. His second full-length collection, The Collapsed Bookshelf, is forthcoming.
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