Poem | 'Religion at Armenian school' by Melineh Yemenidjian

Religion at Armenian school

Light filtered through stained glass,
casting shadows on Der Hayr’s bearded face-
his eyes flashed, turned to flint.

He jabbed a finger into the air
and warned that his holy dove 
spied at our window every night
and reported wrongdoings
directly to God.
 
Incense burned our nostrils
and monotone sermons
of Evil Satan, Enemy Turks
and Tricky Jews bored us.
 
Crammed on wooden pews
we played hand-games,
usually Down by the Banks
or Double-Double-This-This.
 
Der Hayr was scheduled
to teach our classroom every Thursday.
 
Once he made us color the Crucifix 
and chided us if we drew outside
of the lines.
 
Tempted to scribble
cerulean on Jesus’s face,
I feared God’s wrath
and neatly outlined
the cross in brown.

Read Yemenidjian's “Equ-I-pose,” “Lady Libertine,” and “How to trap a butterfly.”