Smarter

Smarter

“Hey, I’m smarter,” he said, “than a crow!
Next to mine, a bird’s IQ is low.
Once again, once again,
I have proved it. Amen!”
But I shook my head: “Well, I don’t know….”

–Tom Riley

Polite Disagreement

Polite Disagreement

To critics of
my own position I nod—
but don’t convert.

–Tom Riley

So Shall the Son of Man Be Lifted Up

So Shall the Son of Man Be Lifted Up

A Mormon theologian that I’m reading
Has resurrected all that serpent stuff
About the Savior. Hey, I’m not conceding
Anything here. It’s lunacy enough
To read this sort of thing. But on my duff
I entertain the wildest speculations.
Does Joseph Smith say X, Y, Z? Hang tough,
O soul, and listen to his wild orations!
Thing is, it’s not that crazy. The gyrations
Are not amongst the most absurd I’ve seen.
The Gnostics pioneered these innovations.
I’m sure they startle, but do they demean?
These Restoration types are quite a crew.
I love these Mormon guys. I really do.

–Tom Riley

Infected

Infected

Have you caught the infection of thought?
Then you’re dangerous, sonny, and ought
Even now to repent.
Oh, unhappy event!
Oh, condition you shouldn’t have sought!

–Tom Riley

Method of the Great Philosopher

Method of the Great Philosopher

His thoughts are unenlightened goo—
But repetition makes them true.

–Tom Riley

What Drew You In

What Drew You In

What drew you in will soon, of course, repel.
Such is the origin of self-disgust.
The details, currently, we can’t foretell.
What drew you in will soon, of course, repel
Your every new-fatigued somatic cell
And all the spirits you have learned to trust.
What drew you in will soon – of course – repel.
Such is the origin of self-disgust!

–Tom Riley

Pharisaical Response to Fraternal Correction

Pharisaical Response to Fraternal Correction

Have I wandered
from the path of righteousness?
You shut up!

–Tom Riley

A Long, Long Way

A Long, Long Way

A little drinking goes a long, long way.
So why on earth am I imbibing more?
Empirically, I find that I can say
A little drinking goes a long, long way.
Why then do I emphatically display
What this, my hard-worked liver, must be for?
A little drinking goes a long, long way—
So why on earth am I imbibing more?

–Tom Riley

Take a Drink

Take a Drink

Ash Wednesday threatens, so I take a drink.
This if Fat Tuesday, people, after all.
About Lent it is frightening to think.
Ash Wednesday threatens! So? I take a drink
And in the face of self-denial blink.
I hear sobriety’s unpleasant call.
Ash Wednesday threatens. So I take a drink.
This is Fat Tuesday, people, after all.

–Tom Riley

In Our Places

In Our Places

Dante, of course, has put us in our places—
All of us, though he never heard our noise
Nor yet endured expressions on our faces.
Dante, of course, has put us in our places.
There are no better comprehensive spaces
Than those that he’s devised. Hey, girls and boys!
Dante – of course! – has put us in our places:
All of us, though he never heard our noise.

–Tom Riley