by Ronnie Sirmans

The online newspapers report about iPads  
and Surface tablets at worship services;
printed Bibles are no longer de rigueur.
But I’ll miss the Scratch & Sniff Bibles
that were so popular for a printed time:
the scents of wild waste from Noah’s ark, 
the stench of thousands of drowned animals 
after the waters receded. A smell of smoke
like Lot’s Burgers upon a grill of cities
burning on the plain. That floral perfume 
lingering from Job’s wife in her absence.
Now, testaments to finger-swiped verses,
annotations at the tap of an oily finger,
smooth smudges for devices’ stained glass. 
The Greatest Story Ever Told resurrected
in high-def resolution on YouTube or Hulu
while congregants rejoice in their senses.
Taste is next. A detachable paper strip
to lick. Bread. Wine. Salty Jesus tears.

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Ronnie Sirmans is an Atlanta print newspaper digital editor whose poetry has appeared in Fathom, Sojourners, Ekstasis, Reformed Journal, America, Heart of Flesh, and elsewhere.

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