The Pope’s Penis
Sharon-olds
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The Pope's Penis by Sharon Olds
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Sharon Olds explores what goes on behind the facade of religion and underneath the Pope’s robes: How the Pope is necessarily connected to the sexual, whatever vows he makes.
This poem originally appeared in her book, “The Gold Cell,” which was published in 1987. At the time, Pope John Paul II reign...
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The Pope’s Penis Annotated
It hangs deep in his robes, a delicate
clapper at the center of a bell.
It moves when he moves, a ghostly fish in a
halo of silver seaweed, the hair
swaying in the dark and the heat — and at night
while his eyes sleep, it stands up
in praise of God.