【Written by Jill Schuck】

They’ve parked by Free Christian-
an attempt to justify the action.
 
Cracked cardboard in the cargo bed,
spitting on hymns,
gut-punching psalms,
weaponizing holy ground
into unholy war:
 
This sign stands in opposition to Black Lives Matter
(the basic right to live),
to women’s reproductive rights
         (the basic right to choose),
to gay marriage
         (the basic right to love).
 
It’s a prayer of their invention,
hailing their own hellish heavens.
 
A cross is almost born 
in the intersections,
the crucifixion of lines,
in that blood-backed, star-toothed
flag. The one borrowed
from non-bygone battles
they call “Southern pride,”
sitting smug in the windshield.
 
Taillight, gaslight.
They do it to spite
 
        those whose tears and sweat
run rancid as the exhaust–
thy neighbors they should love.