They sit in a circle of

Uber earnestness,

Of profound,

Profundity.

They offer ever polite,

Knowing humor in

The chuckles as they

Raise an index finger

To their lips with

Understated certitude.

Young,

Newly minted

Doctors of philosophy

In English

And Masters of Fine

Arts in poetry from

A plethora of places

Doting the academic

Landscape, regional

Schools priding

Themselves as institutions

To be offering semi-esoteric

degrees in the arts.

The young academics

Who teach at evangelical,

Christian colleges, with

An emphasis on Christian

Rather than as a school

Of significant academic

Excellence in the historic

Christian tradition

Assume a sophomoric

Stance toward their

Own verses as gospel

Truth, read each other’s

Droll to nearly hilarious,

Free verse

Of breakfast with

Their uber smart

Infants and kindergartners

Pointing to this fairly

Boring, mostly mundane

Morning experience as

A metaphor

Of epiphanal significance.

They look at each other

And nod knowingly,

Go home and recommend

Each other’s smart as a

Whip writing to small,

Evangelical Christian

Publications seeking

To appear esoterically

Sophisticated by

Publishing short,

Smart but obviously

Profound

Verse by newly

Minted Ph.D.s and

MFA’s.