God is a Disabled body
A flawed thing too damn holy to walk
among earthly creatures. An image so divine people can’t help but avert their eyes from, bow their heads to
& talked about in hushed tones, referred to in third person, omniscient eyesore
always questioned about whether it’s existence has a place among men,
Reminder of your own mortality, proof of miracle
Respected and feared.
After all,
Are they both not known for their Wrath?
The way they take from you, body bent in reverent prayer demanding more
blood squeezed out of every pore turned
Sweat into tears into wine
An offering held in the mouth and torn, christened by breaking
flesh, oh bruised spirit
Suffering always
As a test of faith
Are they both not known for their kindness?
For the gentle days where it is bread
Milk and honey
Soft. Sweet. Gentle lamb under sky and lighting in your fingertips. Incredulous and bold, immortal despite all odds
God must be somewhere inside this body.
Must be hallowed and haunting
Creation and destruction
because when you are both your own savior and your worst enemy, when you are made of nothing but power and prayer
You must also be your own deliverance too.
By Marilyn Melissa Salguero
Biography:
Marilyn Melissa Salguero (she/her/hers) is a Guatemalan poet who puts the SALT in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is the human equivalent of red wine, crushed velvet and using humor as a poor coping mechanism. Melissa’s work centers on her life, relationships, and identity. She has been featured in numerous publications including Write About Now Poetry, Ink & Nebula, Rising Phoenix Press, and Crepe & Penn. She was a 2020 nominee for the Pushcart Prize in poetry and a recipient of the Academy of American Poets student contest for 2020. When not yelling about white boys or making God metaphors, Melissa can be found feeding her online shopping addiction, blasting Gloria Trevi, or living up to her title as the quintessential “bitter ex girlfriend poet”. Her work was released in a self-published chapbook entitled “Cannibal” in 2022. Her work (along with her emotional overflow) can be found on twitter @_Miss_Marilyn.