One Life, Two Funerals

Our Big Gayborhood

Jack Kerouac / The Beat Generation

Feed Me

Blessed are the hungry, for they shall be filled

Oh, my belly groans, moaning to be filled

McDonald’s French fries

Super size

And

Kentucky Fried Chicken

Mmm, finger lickin’ good

Oh, yeah, Pizza Hut

Super Supreme

Hold the anchovies please

Thick crust

And

Extra cheese

Yo guiero Taco Bell

(The only Mexican I know)

Burritos

Taquitos

Nachos

And

Tacos

And Caramel Apple Empanadas

But all I really want is a slice

Of the Great American Pie

And all I get is a fried lie

Shaped like a brick

Individualized

And you know, I eat them up

And stack them high

A teetering Tower of Babel

Just read the label—

Calories, cholesterol,

Sodium, sugar, and fat…

My life, this fast food drive through

Ravenous and raving

Craving a quick fix

I’m addicted

Fast food for a fast life

Eat fast, die young

And leave a bloated corpse—

At least my belly will be full

Chemicals, additives, artificial flavors,

Artificial colors, artificial sweeteners

And Red Die # 9

Embalming me

Mummified

Dried by all the preservatives

The cemetery, like a city dump

Full of disposable diapers

Taking centuries to decompose

Frozen, the cycle of life

No more ashes to ashes and dust to dust

Just

Plastic

So what’s the half-life of plastic?

Well, at least a part of me will achieve immortality

But isn’t life more than food?

A man shall not live on bread alone

So said Jesus to the stones

When he was alone in the wilderness

Tempted by desire

He resisted the world

The riches of the kingdoms

In all their glory

But I can’t even resist

French fries

Fried apple pies

Milkshakes and McNuggets

They tug at my soul

And I can eat a whole bunch of that

Sitting in my car

Waiting for the traffic light to change…my life

I see a guy in the car next to me

He’s eating a taco

The woman behind me

She’s stuffing a Carl’s Jr. Burger in her face

Dripping shit all over the place

The guy up ahead

He’s sucking on a straw

A Big Gulp of soda

And a Snicker’s bar

I know it’s not against the law

But shouldn’t we eat at home

And not alone in a car?

And then I began to understand the man

What Jesus said

It’s not just the bread

And it’s a whole lot more than the wine

It’s the time

We spend together

Sharing and caring

Daring to be an assembly of love

The truly healthy diet

Give me a piece of that pie

And I will give you a hug

Oh, I love hugs.

They have no calories

And yet, they feed me

Buddy Wakefield - Convenience Stores

Rumi: Say I Am You (Sufi poem)