What Kind of Honesty Are You Looking For

Sinner in a confessional speaking to a priest
                  Sinner to sinner
Human exchange sanctioned to absolve
The penitent of their burden
One man is vested with the power to absolve
Unknowable amount of sins and secrets
Have been shed in confessionals
For hundreds and hundreds of years
What relief has been found
A human unburdened
Enough strength to carry on
For another day
Another week
Until enough sin burdens
Once again
A self-perpetuating path
Dividing the hemispheres
Of our behaviors

La Virgen de Echo Park

I found her in an alley
painted on a dirty wall
with a light
shining upon her.
Her face was of divine
peace and compassion.
I parked my car in front of her-
perhaps - I thought -
that would keep it safe.
I am not religious
or even superstitious
but I was born on her feast day.
It could be mere coincidence
or not
but I acknowledge her
any time we encounter one another.
It couldn't hurt and
there's nothing to lose.