Against Ecumenism

For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
— I Thess. 5:2

A Japanese apocalyptic cult
(It’s on TV), impatient with the wait,
Decides at long last to precipitate
The worst, and bring our prime time to a halt.

Their means? A gas attack. It’s not their fault
The world must end: obedience, not hate,
Demands those packed commuters suffocate.
A shaman speaks, and such is the result.

I reach for the remote (You’d think Japan
Would be remote enough). There’s only news.
John Paul decries the (quote) culture of death,

Then turns and shrugs off Malthus with a ban
On birth control. Should he convert the Jews
The game is up. Head bent, he holds his breath.