Promises

Let’s think about all

the promises ever made:

God promised the Jews;

the politician makes

promises to his or her

constituents; mom and

dad promise to a needy child—

promises kept, promises

broken, and promises

never met. So many

promises, promises made

to you, promises you have

made. The general

promises victory on the

field of battle, but at what

cost, he refuses to say.

The emcee promises a

rollicking good show. The

contractor promises

satisfaction guaranteed.

On TV, Rolaids promises

to relieve heartburn

and gastric indigestion.

The marriage vows are

made then broken. Some

will swear to God on a

stack of bibles. Whose

promises to believe?

It is understood, and

goes without saying,

that the airline promises

a safe flight across the

ocean, provided the

weather is fair and the

pilot is not hungover

(blurry-eyed and near-

sighted), seated invisibly

behind the closed

cockpit door.

Chris Hanch 2-22-19