One day Miss Hooker will die and go to
Heaven to live with the angels and God
and Jesus and the Holy Ghost and all
the good folks who never sinned, or not much,
not enough to to go to Hell, and I wish
I could say that I’m in that number but
for ten years old I sin a damn-Hell of
a lot, I mean everyday, if I
didn’t know better I’d say I was cursed
but I’m not blaming Adam and Eve though
it’s probably their damn fault anyway
but just myself, I guess I know the rules
because Miss Hooker lays them down in class
and warns us besides to take care of our
eternal souls, which means the part of me
that’s really me will live forever and
I have to choose carefully where it will
go, that’s Heaven or Hell again, and it’s
tough because I don’t have what it takes to
stick to it. I’ve got a wandering mind
she said in Sunday School today, she’s my
teacher so there it is. But I do pray
every night before I fall asleep
that God and Jesus will forgive me for
stinking up another day and tonight
I’ll mention the Holy Ghost as well, could
He be the missing link in being good
enough to get past the Pearly Gates? Can’t
hurt to try. From what Miss Hooker says of
Hell I’ll suffer—ex-cru-ci-at-ing-ly
was the word she used. It’s a damn good one
whatever it means, probably badly,
fire and brimstone, I think that’s sulfur now,
and torture that’s never-ending. But I
want to see her again, Miss Hooker, when
we’re both dead because I’m in love with her
but she’s 25 and old and too old
for me to marry even when I’m her
age. What the Hell am I supposed to do
but get to see her whenever I want
when I’m dead and if I go to Heaven
and if I still have eyes, my soul I mean,
and she has a soul that my soul can see?
Or maybe even we’ll both go to Hell.
That will be good since we’ll be together.
About Gale Acuff
Gale Acuff has had poems published in many journals and has also authored three books of poetry. He has taught university English in the US, China, and Palestine. Gale now teaches literature at Sichuan University for Nationalities, in China.
