Spiritual Warfare – a poem by Amy Lee Heinlen

Spiritual Warfare
  
Between a Christian 
flag and an American one
hanging lukewarm from their poles,
stands a wooden altar steadfast
as a donkey. On its blonde back rests
a spiral of ram’s horn, polished
dark and glossy. This shofar
was brought here by Pastor Shakelford
from The Promised Land.
After his fiery sermon, collective
glossolalia hum dilla hum,
praise Him, Pastor Bob’s laying on
of hands to cast out Satan, 
folks filter out of their pews 
into the modular addition
for coffee, punch, generic 
yellow sandwich cookies. 
The sanctuary settles, muffled and snug.
Us kids, the only five 
in this redeemed congregation,
try to sound it, see who can call God
to our side. Nine years old, I believe 
I am called to loose angels, to bind
demons, dilla hum, praise Jesus!  
With the hollow horn, hot 
and moist with spittle against my lips,
I sound the call. One long flat note
sends ripples through Heaven and Hell.

Amy Lee Heinlen, poet and publisher based in Western Pennsylvania, is the author of All Else Falls to Shadow (Dancing Girl Press). Her poems appear in Literary Mama, Stirring, Rogue Agent, and elsewhere. Heinlen is co-editor of Lefty Blondie Press, an independent publisher promoting poetry by women and non-binary poets.