The Gifts

•**mïmfr* —3^ ^^ X The Gifts Perlie threatened to blow ou the strip mine man's brains if he didn't get the dust-raisin' trucks off his road Strip mine man wanted to give Perlie something in return for his land and breath Strip mine man gave oil tanks that greased Perlie's road each day Gave Perlie his son twice a week to talk the air clear Gave Perlie central air for his house and lungs Gave Perlie an electric bill the old man could never pay. -Jeannie Reed Southern Gothic In the swim of sultry summer Heat pods the palsied pores of flesh And ceremonies of the sun are at hand. Lilies fester in the aphid swarm, And southern weeds choke the heart With images of lust and harm. Primal covenants stir the beast That slouches toward Jersulem With Sunday Bible and sweating cheek, While communion blood freshly drunk Quells for a time the awful thirst At the ritual of post-sermon tea. Death and resurrection hang in fetid air Like prayer flags of hope, to tease The reluctant dragon toward that holy place. -Joseph Harris 39 ...