weathered

For a Change
by Connie Wanek

Earth had become a job that required
constant customer support.
Humans didn’t seem to understand
the basics of their service.
Mrs. God suggested a standard message
when people first connected:
The Kingdom of God is within you.
“Honestly I think it gives them
a sense of agency,” she said.

But God thought the problem stemmed
from a confusing owners’ manual.
“Some of these translations are inscrutable,”
he said, paging through the dense instructions.
“What about a series of drawings,
where steps would be illustrated with a
puzzled little angel, sort of like IKEA?
And of course an extensive
FAQ on the website.”

“It’s worth a try,” said Mrs. God. “The most
important thing is that people know
they’re getting accurate information.”
“For a change,” said God.

“For a Change” by Connie Wanek. Used with the permission of the author.

Nov 7, 2020

Owl

creeped out

 

A Sighting
by Connie Wanek
The gray owl had seen us and had fled
but not far. We followed noiselessly,
driving him from pine to pine:
I will not let thee go except thou bless me.
He flew as though it gave him no pleasure,
forcing himself from the bough,
falling until his wings caught him:
they had to stroke hard, like heavy oars.
He must have just eaten
something that had, itself, just eaten.
Finally he crossed the swamp and vanished
as into a new day, hours before us,
and we stood near the chest-high reeds,
our feet sinking, and felt
we’d been dropped suddenly from midair
back into our lives.
 
“A Sighting” by Connie Wanek, from On Speaking Terms. Copyright © 2010 by Connie Wanek. Used by permission of The Permissions Company, Inc. on behalf of Copper Canyon Press.