Metro Preacher

by Sadie Beauregard

There's a preacher man across the bus aisle with soil rich skin and a worn out Seattle Mariners cap. He gives the mass of his mind's eye, intermingled with tidbits of religious devotion, insights on capital punishment, and brisk marriage ceremonies. With "to have and to hold, to love and to cherish," the preacher man blesses the supposed union of the former governor and the incumbent city councilman, the matrimonial bliss of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., the marriage of Kristi Yamaguchi and the prophet Solomon. He squeezes a Heineken between his knees while praising the saints: Joan of Arc, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Saint Betty (that of cookies, cakes, and pies). He admits to a tipsy disposition, proclaims to those waiting for the 358 that it was Milton Bradley after all. "The meek shall inherit the Earth," he reminds, and holds up a newspaper to block the sinking sun.

6S

Sadie Beauregard is a writer, reader, and gardener from Seattle. She especially likes to explore the intricacies and power of creative non-fiction.