"Last Rites"

By Anthony Roberts

Some confessions are pro forma
due to time of year
people present
Or just because it’s been a while

Then there are those
where you face death
fall into despair
a firm decision to be there

Beside a man with white hair
who acts en persona Christi
though Christ himself
didn’t live long enough
to see his hair turn gray

What would he say
hearing the sins of the world
laid bare
while mortal men and women
bear the weight
of crosses they shaped
from trees of necessity

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Anthony Roberts is a veteran of Baltimore and Afghanistan. He currently lives in New Jersey in a home with beautiful views and interlocking fields of fire.

He is the author of Pigtown and The Clearing Barrel.

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What’s happening at VetRep…

Listen to our latest episode with Kimberly Evans on the Savage Wonder Podcast, where we interview incredibly talented musicians, artists, writers, and theater professionals, who also happen to be veterans.

If you can’t wait to get back in the parlor with us, go ahead and reserve your seats for September, for Chris Soucy’s “The Absurdity of it All”. Chris Soucy is a VetRep resident artist and Army Veteran. He is a co-founder of Odd Lot Improv and the Savannah Shakes Theater Company, and has worked as an actor, puppeteer, writer, director, and filmmaker, with over 30 years of experience in the theater industry.