Virginal Stipulate

Virginal Stipulate

In the halcyon days

of my fragile youth

I came upon an acerbic dreamer

who spoke in nightmares

of knuckle-white restraints.

He was

an open-armed zealot

looking for transcendence

in Jackpot prayers

and double-bonus highways;

an exile from the promised land

and purveyor of damaged souls.

I traded mine for a broken wing

and a parched copy

of Mary’s lost Gospel.