May 13, 2009 / Creative Writing
I watched Rebel Without a Cause on TV late one college night when I learned …
all that remains of First Kings
for three years there was no war
but
the king
went down to see the king
don’t you know
us
said
the king
the king
replied
I am as you are
as
people
as
horses
the king
answered
we can inquire of the Lord
but I hate him
the king should not say such a thing
his officials
said
dressed in
royal robes
on thrones threshing
with
prophets prophesying
gore
all the other prophets were prophesying
prophets
predicting success
the king asked
shall we go to war
or not
attack and be
the Lord
the king said to him
tell me nothing
the Lord
answered
the Lord
went
to hide
the king
turned to attack
but
cried
he was not
the battle
the blood
the floor
the sun
the army
the prostitutes
the dogs
the word
the Lord
the king
ordered
put this fellow in prison
give him nothing but
words
the eyes of the Lord
were
removed
wrecked
buried
done
Katie Manning
Katie Manning is the founding editor-in-chief of Whale Road Review and an associate professor of writing at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. She is the author of Tasty Other, which won the 2016 Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award, and four chapbooks, including The Gospel of the Bleeding Woman. Her poems have appeared in New Letters, Poet Lore, Stirring, THRUSH, Verse Daily, and many journals and anthologies. Her poem “The Book of Fists” is part of a series in which she responds to the use of out-of-context biblical language as a weapon against other people by taking out-of-context biblical language and using it to create art. Her process was to use the last chapter from one book of the Bible as a word bank for each poem. Find Manning online at www.katiemanningpoet.com.