With his feet firmly on the ground
of the studio sanctuary,
the Reverend closes his eyes,
lifts his arms, and says,
“Let us pray for a world
that turns to the Lord, our God,
who can save us from the evils
of sin! And may God bless you
and yours in these troubling times.
Amen.” He opens his eyes and
smiles into the camera as his image
and the organ music shoot through
wires, switches and transmitters,
blasting into the smoggy morning sky
of a distracted American nation
in a video stream the Reverend
considers a fountain of salvation
and a source of income as it sprays
the landscape with a message
only a few hear while most stare
at screens jammed with baleful images,
their headphones and ear buds
filled with mantras of mammon
and screaming arias of sensuality,
materialism and patriotic greed
