
“In our period they say there is free speech. / They say there is no penalty for poets, / There is no penalty for writing poems. / They say this. This is the penalty.” Muriel Rukeyser, 1968
ONE
incense-perfumed ritual a staple of evil it traffics in awe which is a closely related emotion to terror stories it wrestles with me the same mystic horror story it wrestles with its richness of exorcists of symbols and incense-perfumed ritual a staple of evil it wrestles with the same material for horrored epochs it wrestles with the same the most mysterial horror catholicism its richness of evil traffics in awe which is a closely related emotion right up through a fox’s current terror stories it wrestles with the terrible iteration
TWO
like the young pope beginning on friday and showing on sunday and showing on sunday and showing sunday and showing sunday and showing on sunday and showing on sunday and showing sunday and showing on sunday on sundays and showing on sundays and
THREE
little-respected american the church conservatives and a bridge between church conservatives and a bridge between establishment led by the orange vatican the church establishment led by the name pius florida hopes he will be a telegenic puppet and a bridge between church conservatives and a bridge between church establishment led by the name hopes he will be a telegenic puppet and a bridge between church establishment and conservatives and a bridge between establishments
FOUR
law is but his belief turnt out an unlucky number the new pop-culture literate he’s hooked on cherry coke zero he’s hooked on cherry coke zero he’s hooked on cherry coke zero he — well he’s hooked on cherry coke zero he’s hooked on cherry coke zero he’s the president now is superficially novel: he’s hooked on cherry coke zero he’s hooked on cherry coke zero he’s hooked on cherry coke zero he’s hooked on cherry coke zero he’s hooked on cherry coke zero he’s hooked on cherry coke zero he’s hooked on cherry coke zero he’s hooked on cherry coke zero he’s hooked on cherry coke zero he’s hooked up
FIVE
now meet people where the faithful compromise lays faithful compromise that the faithful compromise that they are but a bridge but without compromise that the faithful compromise that they are but a bridge but a bridge but a bridge but withdrawal bridge but with a drawbridge but without drawing too sharp a point and he’s pulling himself up not to meet the people the faithful compromise that they are but withdrawn and ecumenicism lit af it must not meet people where the faithful lay compromise is that they are but a bridge but a bridge but drawbridge but drawbridge but withdrawn and ecumenical; he must not a bridge be
SIX
break the seal oh confessor spurning the nun who raised him sees an orphan is an orphan as an orphan is an orphan as a tyrant he has an orphan is an orphan eats a tyrant has an orphan in his eye he has an orphan's offal as a tired tyrant as an opal as an orphan as confessor spurning the seal of esuli, rifugiati e sfollati de mezzo america the curia’s influence he’s a tyrant he has an orphan priest confess
SEVEN
only god says you have a terrifying crowd in st peter’s square hope for a terrifying will never be close to one’s fellow man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget man forget me
EIGHT
only as a furious shadow on the balcony shoot video for dramatic maneuverings church maneuverings church movements and appear only as a furious shadow on a balcony which elevated social media platform a visual maximalist explore the drama of finding god through isolation church maneuverings church movements appear only as a furious shadow on a balcony
NINE
disjointed art-house vacation this moment that’s what the young pope is but it’s what the young pope is but what is the young pope but a pulpy and disjointed art-house vatican of pulp and joint it’s what the young pope is
TEN
it’s weakest the closer it sticks set pieces it's weakest the closer it stands set pieces it’s weakest the closer it sticks to its narrative intrigue narrative church impresa with histrionics and mustache-twirling and bombastic weakness the closer it sticks to its narrative weakness it sets its weakest pieces beside its epic histrionics grown like a mustache
ELEVEN
young pope — he actually calls himself that — i am the young pope — i actually call myself that — i put no stock in ether drafted to seduce a jealous meteor there’s an absurd subplot in which this italianate conscientiousness actually calls law stand with me in the puddle as christ the vernacular is lowered and i know it sounds insane if not blasphemous but it’s sacred and appallingly weird this kind of holy anger our eyes cycling cold lightning an abandoned child an orphan an opal a tyrant faith a kind of misanthropy no one loves which is why i’m prepared for everyone