Pentecostal music filling his ears,
he’s feeling the Holy Spirit,
as he takes up a serpent.
Anointed by God, he knows
the venomous rattler can’t kill him.
It bites him.The bite is painful, but
he’s not concerned. He’s feeling
the Holy Spirit. He’s too high to die.
In step with the beats of the music,
he keeps dancing holding the rattler.
The rattler bites him again. His
vision gets blurry. He gets a rubbery
taste in his mouth. He throws up,
drops the snake, falls to the floor.
He lies there, muscles twitching,
body shivering. The Holy Spirit
fails him. He whispers God why
have you forsaken me? And he dies.
Bob Boyd