By Vivian Faith Prescott
Jesus himself stood among them and….while in their joy they were
disbelieving and still wondering and he said to them,
Have you anything here to eat?—Luke 24: 36-41.
Jesus has never left us—
He’s still trying to appeal to our carnal appetites
in this seemingly universal Rorschach test—
singed atop a chimichanga
steamed in froth in a cup of hot chocolate,
charcoaled on a grilled cheese sandwich
and skewered on a fish stick.
I am beginning to think that Jesus
might have food issues and I wonder
why he has to keep up the appearances,
meeting us at the Shrine of the Miracle Tortilla
awaiting to see if we can recall the drooping
eyes, the eyebrows straight and
jagged, the hollow of cheeks, the corner of mouth
turned down, the nose hooked and narrow—
and after we observe him deep within
the folds of a cheese curl,
slice of potato or pierogi,
and on that shrimp tail, we remain here
at this same table, knife and fork in hand—searching
for yet another Eucharist, still disbelieving
and wondering
what he might really taste like.
Clutching at Straws 