Something to Chew On ( a rediscovered poem)

Something to chew on

I went to Mass this morning
sitting off to the side
in the back.

I looked down.

The kneeler was up.

Underneath the kneeler
was ...

... gum.

Not just one wad.
A gathering of gums.

White, peach, pink, red.

Gum on wood.
Gum on gum.
Gum on gum on gum.

I looked at the kneelers around me.
No gum.
Just this one.

Maybe this was the pew
a chewer
regularly occupied
slipping in
suddenly realizing she (or he?)
was still chewing
and not wanting to swallow
before Communion
discarded it here.

Maybe it was a kid
who thought it was cool
to stick it
to the Holy Man.

Maybe one chewer did it first
and with the taboo broken
subsequent chewers
just stuck with the practice.

Maybe they figured
that by sticking it there
they were hiding their transgressions.

Maybe there was no thought involved at all.

It crossed my mind that maybe
they should have used a tissue or paper
and not the bottom of the kneeler
and should have shown more respect
for God's house.

I could have been angry or upset
but today my mind
got stuck
on something else.

Being a chewer
of matters metaphorical
I thought of how many times
we come to Mass
chewing on
angers
resentments
jealousies
and suddenly remembering
Whom
we are about to receive
we try to discard
those things
to make us ready.

At the right time
I put the kneeler down
and knelt
on the padded top
knowing that beneath
was a foundation of things
someone hoped that someone else would not notice.

But the Janitor will notice.

Ah
another metaphor
to chew on.

Pax et bonum