The bank register of the devil
is a marvelous work. It is a wonder
how his funds
funnel cleverly
offshore (whoever said
Cerberus was a pass-through?)

So the rich cannot pass
a needle’s test? It is for the best:
you cannot have clients packing
their belongings when they themselves
are the collateral. Satan loves
to secure his transactions
for a rainy day
(just ask Noah).

Wealth may be a poor liability
but the devil is careful
to treat his pensioners
like good expenditures.
Counterfeit coin? Calm now,
even the devil obeys
standard accounting practices.

But the ledger of the Lamb
is alarming in its simplicity
as though written by a child.
Any financial adviser worth his salt
(just ask Lot)
would roll over seeing it bleed red
like that. If you want my advice
you must follow the profit
to get in the black. Cross-out
the charity ─ why, there’s not even
a 501(c)(3) for heaven's sake!

       I daresay
       there will be
       hell to pay.

---

return to poems