The Ecumenical Nature of Slush

Suppose the Pope were in an Oldsmobile

on Interstate 80 driving over the Sierras

as snow becomes slush and the whoosh

of eighteen wheelers turns windshield wipers

to frantic hands helping His Eminence see the road.

The Pope, now in the middle lane, 

expels a mix of dirt and snow

​on those behind and beside him,

and he sighs at the ways we sully each other

​to get to the places we need to go.