Pope Francis has sent
Cardinal Fernando Filoni
to Iraq
with the intent to provide
"spiritual support
and the church's solidarity
with the people who are suffering"
as they flee
the radical group ISIS.
Today he tweeted
"Violence is not
conquered by violence.
Lord send us
the gift of peace"
followed by
the hashtag "#prayforpeace".
If you haven't been eyeing
this pope with suspicion
maybe it's time
because everyone knows
that good solid American prayer
does not belong
in the company
of some hippy-dippy
biased liberal concept like peace
especially not
the idea of peace "trending"
(whatever that means)
on Twitter
or outside Twitter
or even outside the Internet.
And it gave Jesus a headache
last week
when he was trying
to help a Senate Republican
filibuster the Bring The Jobs Home Act
a bill which would've
incentivized companies
with a twenty percent tax credit
for returning off-shored jobs
to the US.
Luckily Jesus prevailed
for this patriotic American senator
but barely.
Afterwards He lay down
and cried for Cat Stevens'
six-year-long "Peace Train"
ride to Islam
in 1977
and rued sorrowfully
the poor souls
who just so happened
to one day follow
the wrong bearded guy
with long hair.
This poem © 2014 Emily Cooper.
