“Dogma” by Cynthia Reeser
Everywhere you look, churches. A proliferation of churches. It’s the Bible Belt and to be expected, but this, really. My son counting churches—it’s a game, wherever we drive. Churches in the country, churches in the city, churches in the suburbs. Churches across from other churches, dogmatic competition. Every other building a church. A church for every person, one for every other cow. Church in people’s garages, out back in their sheds. Law offices and church. Piggly Wiggly and church. A church in the Walmart. Church in the corner mart. Church in the fields. Church in the water. River rafting and church. Fishing and church. Sky-diving and church. Collapsible, disposable, eco-friendly church. Homegrown, organic church. GMO church, church grown from seed money, terminator seed church. Church sprung wild from the fields, feral church, spontaneous generation church. Holy church, profane church, dig-in-the-dirt church. Don’t-be-a-jerk church. Glam church, slam church. Fad church, classic church. Fake church, bully church, salt-of-the-earth church. Churches on welfare, churches with steeples. Churches with masters degrees that haven’t been able to get a job for seven years, freelance churches, single-mom churches. Old money churches, farmer churches, churches born into the family business.
O but all are equal in the eyes of the Lord, therefore: steeples rise up with the dawn over rolling hills, the glory of morning and singing, the clanging of bells, the country where religion is hawked like 5-cent county fair winnings, common as horseflies, common as fear.
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Cynthia Reeser Artist Statement:
Cynthia Reeser is the Founder and Publisher of Aqueous Books, and Founder and Editor-in-Chief
of Prick of the Spindle literary journal. She has published more than 100 reviews in print and online, as
well as poetry and fiction in print and online. Her short stories are anthologized in the Daughters of
Icarus Anthology (Pink Narcissus Press, 2013), and in Follow the Blood: Tales Inspired by The Hardy Boys
and Nancy Drew (Sundog Lit, 2013). She is an editor by profession and lives near Birmingham, a city
undergoing a cultural renaissance. Visit her on the web at www.cynthiareeser.com.
