whatchyoutalkingboutwillis

i turn on the tv

and randomly hit the remote button

ending up

on a televangelist show

where

people are being healed

in droves.

the preacher in a shark skin suit

puts his hand

to their forehead

and the sick start flopping

around like

flounder on the stage.

after speaking in some sort

of strange language,

the blind suddenly can see

again.

kidneys are healed.

crutches are thrown to the side

and children

are doing a river dance.

a woman with psoriasis no

longer is itching her skin.

one man

with a headache is now

singing to the band.

warts are falling off of people

and being swept up into dustpans.

it's hard to change the channel.

i feel hypnotized.

the preacher tells

the at home audience

 to go to the set

and put your

hand on the screen.

offer up your illness after

you've written a check to 

Bobby Willis on Park Avenue,

New York, New York.

for a quick healing, a thousand

dollars, payable in monthly

installments of one hundred dollars

for three years.

fifty dollars for a delayed healing.

i skip the check part and put

my hand on the screen.

heal my nose polyps i say

out loud. help me. i promise

i'll write that check. but

first do your magic and set

me free from this runny nose

and buying Flonase by the

carton.

i wait and wait and wait,

and then have to get some

kleenex to blow my nose.

i sit back down, find the remote

and start clicking

to see what else is on.