Faithful Remnants

Crucifixes littering the walls,
Affixed to each door in the hall,
A casual decoration of torment,
Torture informally glorified,
Highlighting how he died,
Defied by the truth:
I deny this as truth.

An atheist surrounded by crosses.
Morbid offerings to nothing,
Some things can be lost in the
Breaking of bad habits.

Woven rosary a dark noose
Of ‘don’t forget’.
Beaded and blessed,
a twin set in evidence,
Positioned in a place of notice
Above the rearview mirror,
An all too clear souvenir
Of faiths once prized.

Why?
Why hold up high,
These remnants of what
Once held me down?

I may have lost my faith,
But I forgot to clean
Away its debris.
Like a hoarder, I keep it,
In case I ever need it.

Jessie Gutierrez