Poem: “Better Not to Marry” by Brian Day

Special thanks to Brian Day for permission to post the following poem from his new book “Conjuring Jesus.”

Better Not to Marry
by Brian Day

Jesus, speaking to his intimate
circle of friends, assures them
it’s better not to marry
but to wander unfamilied
in the company of men. He calls
his merry band to not-marry
with him, and conceives
of a Creator who, from the womb,
fashions this unmarrying brand of men
and calls them as prophets
in the birth of a kingdom.

Jesus extols the flexible eunuch
who sets aside his masculine habits
and surrenders himself to the wills
of men. He wishes all his followers
to be men and eunuchs, blessed
with that angelic ambiguity
of gender as they are entered
and enter the gates of heaven.

Jesus looks forward to that far
resurrection when marriage itself
will be finally moulted
and all will float freely
as bachelors and boys.
They’ll drift promiscuous
through heavenly forms,
their bodies as permeable
and as shimmering as words.

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Biblical references: Matthew 19:10-12, 22:29-30

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Related links:
Brian Day: Homoerotic interfaith poetry book explores “lust for the holy”
(Jesus in Love review of Brian Day's 2013 book "The Daring of Paradise")

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“Better Not to Marry” appears in the book “Conjuring Jesus” by Brian Day. He studied at Trent University and the University of Toronto. Day is the author of “Love is Not Native to My Blood” (2000) and “Azure” (2004), both published by Guernica Editions. He teaches in Toronto.

Click here for Kittredge Cherry’s review of “Conjuring Jesus.