A Christmas poem — Jesus is a homeless man, viewed as a pariah by some, the lamb of God by others, and often makes his bed outside of a church. He despises the wooden cross, but hangs from it anyway. …

A Christmas Carol, not — I believe that Scrooge got a bad rap from Charles Dickens in the book, "A Christmas Carol." Dickens portrayed Scrooge as the worst guy on the planet, and he needed to toe the Christian line and become a saint. However, it's quite the opposite. The self-righteous characters in the book…

I have telepathic powers, but I’m not crazy — Even as a chubby boy, I had intuitive abilities — I clapped the blackboard erasers even before the teacher asked, and my parents never disciplined me, because I self-flagellated regularly. I heard things telepathically, and I was a pipeline between people’s thoughts, feelings, and true desires. I was also a…

Women’s history month — Saint Theresa of Calcutta — I saw Mother Theresa, the lines on her face, the weariness in her eyes, feeling her gracious heart despite her being a statue A saint stood before me who once sat with the dying, those who needed a hand to hold in the darkness of their deformity and disgrace — …

With compassion —

In faithful hearts — The colors of Christmas catch my eye, the scent of the trees, lit candles in the windows, with ribbons and bows at the door There is a sock on the mantle for me, a sweater for my terrier, elves that travel on sleds, reindeer full of pumped air, faces flush from a December chill…

And opening up to its joy — It is without ego, I push her wheelchair to the dollar store, navigating the bumps in the road, changing her dressing that hides an open sore, careful the alcohol doesn’t burn I cook her meals from a recipe book, low in carbs and salt My hands blend in love, for a woman whose…

Poem — Stranger full of bags of trouble sitting under the hot sun with a rabid dog whose itchy body bleeds from scabies We are all limited by our humanness, our stench, and pestilence The way we whine and cry The lies and deceit The theologians we follow are downright despicable We…

To declaw or not declaw — Our last office Christmas party was at a beautiful, high-end restaurant. The wine was flowing, people were into the holiday spirit, and the Italian server thought he was Luciano Pavarotti singing an aria from Verdi’s Rigoletto. I ordered the filet mignon and my coworker-friend the veal parmigiana. …

And wants me to stick to carpentry — I love my mother, but sometimes she could be a real pain — Jesus this, Jesus that. She doesn’t want me to get crucified, kiss Mary Magdalene on the lips, or even save souls. Instead, she wants me to stick to being a carpenter. “Mom,” I keep telling her. “I…

And wearing green tights — I know Elf is just a Christmas movie, but it has become much more. Even when it is not the holiday season, I am compelled to watch it every other hour. Sometimes more if I’ve had too much eggnog. Maybe it’s because I relate to Buddy. My father left at…

Haiku —

At the Third Street Promenade — Peter is delusional — and carries a rubber fish down the Third Street Promenade after an imaginary trip through the rainforest, where he took a slow safari across the Black Lagoon Peter stays in character, a much-maligned fishmonger, flouting his slippery salmon, caught off the Santa Monica pier, with a crucifix for a rod…

In a groovy Promised Land — He's the coolest savior with his long hair flying in the wind, as he glides down the California coast on his hoverboard A free spirit waving a peace sign, a red bandana around his dog's collar, Earth Shoes on his feet, and love beads dangling from his neck He's an…

And the crying man —