the anatomy lesson

i placed my faith in an anatomy lesson
a crash course in curves from a kind christian
who speaks her mind with her eyes, and tries
never to lie while she's lying down, whose
thoughts break the pool of her face in a frown
whose logic is cool, whose mission's to please.

an atheist, i'm not easily impressed
by the shock and awe of water from whine
but the fact remains that her leg and mine
make a cute angle, a crucifixion:
an astute comment on our position
between the book and a hard place,

she gestures:
"this is my body, and this is my blood."
there's laughter, water; a baptism in love.