Heart Events

A man with the slurred speech of a stroke victim phoned in to a radio call-in show with a question: “Would Jesus wear a firearm?” I made a gun with my thumb and forefinger and held it to my head. Rain was scribbling aimlessly on the window. It couldn’t form words to express what I was feeling. But don’t worry, this isn’t a regular occurrence. A heart also serves as a polygraph, a wine glass, a Nazi death camp guard, a boat—a small flimsy boat that gives no promise of arrival.