Banned Substance – a poem by Wayne Bornholt

          Banned Substance


Where does God hide the cache
   Of love and mercy?
Does he stash it under a bushel basket,
   Or is it buried deep
In our fleshy soil?
   The earth is a deathly blanket,
That warms us in preparation
   For the devil’s glance.  He 
Doesn’t hide but puts all his
   Purloined cards on the table.
He is shrewd, catches us
   Flat-footed while we are
In the stand-by line for that 
   Banned substance---grace.  
Perhaps, if we had a metal detector,
   We would find this treasure.

Wayne Bornholdt is a retired bookseller who specialized in academic works in religious studies and theology. He holds degrees in philosophy and theology. He lives in West Michigan where he works on improving his tennis game and writing.