By Kerry James Evans

Lord, hasn’t it been long enough? I’ve prayed
three days straight, read Matthew, Mark, most of Luke,
and John. I’ve called my grandmothers,
listened for you in every note of the bluebird’s song,
and yesterday I even spoke to your messenger,
walking the dog—a chipmunk escaping
the screams of a circling hawk into a split log. 

Lord, if this is the end, can I have a bowl of ice cream?
Can I toke up one last time? Can we agree
to skip the next World War? No? I’ll settle
for a housing crisis, another divorce—whatever’s left
on your Armageddon Bingo card.
Lord, forgive my lowly sentiment. I’m tired
of missing my ex. Since she left, all I do 

is litigate with the walls. I never win. 
The opposition? Stoic, crown-molded from corner
to baseboard. Its argument linear, square.
I should know. I painted each wall
an assortment of pastels, hoping to please her.
I didn’t account for how light shapes a house
throughout the day—how dark a room 

becomes when all that’s left is you. Your Honor,
the defense recognizes it won’t change anything,
but I need to repaint the walls. Do it now,
I hear you say from on high, but, for the life of me, 
I can’t grasp how you made a world
in seven days. After years of trial, 
I still struggle to fry an egg. Who doesn’t? 
Phil Tucker, the postal worker, stops
every morning at Flagg Chapel Pavilion
and slides open the door of his box truck
to burn a cigarette. Once he’s snuffed
the butt under his boot, he’s off to finish the route.
I don’t smoke anymore, but find myself wanting
to be more like him. What’s that about? 

Why is it, despite your best efforts,
I’m filled with this stubborn, juvenile belief
that you’ll return in a whirlwind, halo and all?
Lord, if you can render honey from a speck
of flower dust, what’s your plan for me?
I know a bowl of ice cream is asking a lot,
but I promise to wash the dishes when I’m done.

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Kerry James Evans is the author of Nine Persimmons (Backwaters/University of Nebraska, 2026) and Bangalore (Copper Canyon), a Lannan Literary Selection. A recipient of an NEA fellowship, his work appears in Ploughshares, Agni, and more. He teaches at Georgia College & State University, where he coordinates the MFA and undergraduate creative writing programs and serves as the co-editor and managing editor for Peach.