James Tate
Jesus got up one day a little later than usual. He had been dream-
ing so deep there was nothing left in his head. What was it?
A nightmare, dead bodies walking all around him, eyes rolled
back, skin falling off. But he wasn't afraid of that. It was a beau-
tiful day. How 'bout some coffee? Don't mind if I do. Take a little
ride on my donkey, I love that donkey. Hell, I love everybody.
I really enjoyed this poem, and I though that the last line of it was really great.
Though it appears that "Hell, I love everybody" is just an expression, I felt like in
this line that Jesus was talking directly to Hell. This is how I saw the poem:
"He had been dreaming so deep there was nothing left in his head" I think means that
his "nightmare" of seeing death all around him was the only thing in Jesus's head.
The death and decay around him seemed to mean people in their everyday lives, the way
that they are living, etc. Jesus isn't afraid of that because he is Jesus, after all,
and is already past the stage of delusion. When Jesus goes to take a ride on his donkey,
it seems as if he is personally addressing Hell, and telling Hell that he loves everybody,
even his donkey.
I like the casualness of this poem. Did anyone else read it that way?
