Daily Sacrifice, will you please C/C?

Question

Aging Pontiff during passage
bag of daily bread clutched, offering
scattered crumbly blessings
to the flock.
Pigeons garbed in oil and Wine
heads bowed, cooing
their grumbled gratitude.
Strange is the dance
when hunger is offered up.
Called in from flight
the devoted numbers grew,
beaks seeking greasy droppings
from fingers rough, soiled.
Ragged nails, wear and dirt mixed
no sacrilege in this.
Swollen, aching arthritic joints
plunged, meaty paws deep
to rasp the meal of the morning.
Caressing and teasing
the sacrament
from bread no longer holy
His congregation
gathers, singing hymns, knowing well
the service will end with a benediction.

Answer 1

Wow you have never had a metaphoric overtone so grey in spiritual matters.

See, that's organized religion for you.

Answer 2

My 5 year old daughter came home from church with my friend Anita and informed me that the father gets quiet inebriated during the service from the drinking of wine.

the observations of children can be interesting

nice poem by the way.

Answer 3

A crumb of salvation for their pathetic souls. Good metaphor. Nice contrast between the resplendent clergy and the ragged masses.

Answer 4

I love the crossed (excuse the word choice) image of a priest as a rough and dirty man in the park feeding his pigeons. They're not so different, are they? Nice one!

Answer 5

Great write...vivid and relevant images mixed with as vivid insights so that the metaphor is splendidly constructed, smoothly delivered. Sweet, sweetie!

Answer 6

Once again you did an awesome job. Your Poems should be in a Book & published.

Answer 7

I like the idea of the "flock" as pigeons, but this gets too involved in the description to maintain an angry or satiric stance. The poem is a secret Catholic.