heaven is hell
you can’t justify
the rape and assault
of thousands of kids
you can’t explain it away
or apologize
this catholic “problem”
you can’t reason promising children heaven
while putting them through hell
ruining countless lives in the name of christ
back then we knew the priests to stay away from
…or some of the lucky did
father richie who always wondered
why martin never came around
used to call us and whine on the phone
used to grab us in the hallways
the ones who didn’t attract him as much
oh, where’s martin?
why is martin treating me this way?
father richie who the pittsburgh dioceses
moved around from church to church
for almost twenty years
letting him take nude photos of boys
fondle their gentiles and whatever else
pine over their adolescent flesh
while watching us sweat at cyo basketball games
before some bishop put him on leave
because the heat grew too big
because ignorance in sin have always been the catholic way
father richie who died in columbia
living his “flamboyant” gay lifestyle
murdered in his apartment
while running a boy prostitute ring
for horny american men
“flamboyant” is a catholic word for shame
you can’t justify
the rape and assault
of thousands of children, motherfuckers
you can’t apologize this horror away
there are no sorries
there are no one million our
fathers
no thousands of hail
marys
to serve as a penance
no bullshit words from the pope
no bullshit edict from rome
no confessional booth big enough to house
your reverent flock of rapists and pedophiles
there is nothing left on this earth
for a religion as corrupt at its core
that has damaged so many lives
except to die
its withered and black death
die on the vine
and be no more.
--John Grochalski
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