Download Tabor’s Introduction to Whitehead’s, The Panther
by James Tabor
“Twin Quests Intersecting out of Time,” introduction to The Panther: Posthumous Poems by James Whitehead, edited by Michael Burns, pp. 10-21.
MARY ON JOSEPH
Lord, I’ve been a problem all my life,
Especially after the Panther. Joseph lied
And said he got to me before the wedding
And was rebuked by numerous local elders.Decent heavy Joseph at his lathe,
He got me sons and daughters with little romance,
Down-home loving when we’d wanted to,
And I made a strong point of patting him
And holding his hands on the streets of Nazareth.Love comes in various sizes, and I loved his,
While Jesus was getting stronger, year after year,
Preparing to raise hell eternally.
I’m talking Joseph. He was good in bed.
My pretty archer always on the ground.
–James Whitehead
