Barry Silesky

Barry Silesky is a Minneapolis-native poet, biographer, and non-fiction writer. He moved to Chicago, where he studied for a BA from Northwestern University and an MA from the University of Illinois.

Religion

              And the earth brought forth grass and herb yielding
              seed and fruit tree bearing fruit after its kind.
                                    —Genesis 1:12

No one thought the food was enough, though it can be when you're starving. There weren't many people then. Hunger is always driving, and there are many kinds. Can we open the door and breathe some fresh air? Try this bread. Maybe a pizza. But none of that is enough. First we have to stop the bleeding, and give the wound some time to settle. Then come the questions: which way now? Here comes the voice you'll never forget. The blood is yours though it never solves the problem. Which is? Eventually, inevitably, it has nothing to do with her, whoever she is. Think of the higgs bosun. That movie about the hurricane and the girl who told the story. There's the real problem. I've never been good at instructions, but I'm alive. I can learn. Isn't that the meaning of religion?