The Truth About Tigers

Driving through the quiet north
of a crowded southern swing state,
I pass the sign—
a Virgin Mary, pale as porcelain,
cradling an even paler child.

Do you think she didn’t have other plans?
it asks, the bold print righteous,
as if divinity erases doubt.

Below, the punchline:
She didn’t take the easy way out,
and neither should you.

A sentence unmistakably written
by a man who has never held
a choice heavy enough
to break him.