Two Evangelists (Poem)

TWO EVANGELISTS AND A RESPONSE

On the boardwalk yesterday,

a sunburnt preacher asked: 'Where would
you go if you were to die tonight, kid?'

But in a dream that night,
the ghost of the Crenshaw Cowboy asked:

“If you died tonight and
awoke tomorrow,
at one with infinite consciousness,
what part of you would mourn a loss?

What part of you would
claw back after your old stash?”

Listen, friend,
whenever you're afraid
or anxious about anything, stare that down
and tell it what you found.

You know what to say.

No need to rush it.

Here’s what we’re thinking these days:
When we hear a good message,

we will proclaim it from many hilltops.

And so we will die on any hill,
upon which you might find us,

—if you insist—

for we plan only to inhabit hills

for which we ought die.

—Stacie and Jeff Mallinson

Note: To our knowledge, the actual Crenshaw Cowboy is alive and well. Here’s a video from shortly before we last saw him, before the COVID shutdowns. This was filmed and produced by our friend Matthew Pupura.