by Amy Cannon
they fled temptation to the wilderness hid themselves in clefts and caves
and temptation found them there demons in the form of seducers quarrels
provoked by pride and boredom the desire to curse god
return to city living
they lived on pillars to escape the demands of many who promptly built pulleys
to haul their questions up to beg for blessing
they wove baskets of reeds to buy their bread fought devils with the psalms
had three hair shirts they changed occasionally
take away temptation every itch and no one will be saved
however holy
Amy Katherine Cannon is a writer and writing teacher living in Los Angeles. She received her MFA from UC Irvine, where she was the recipient of the Gerard Creative Writing Endowment. She is the author of the mini-chapbook ‘to make a desert’ (Platypus Press, 2016). Her work can be found in BOAAT, BODY, Juked, and LIT, among other places. She is Managing Editor of Palaver Arts Magazine, a student publication.