DiaBLOGue

“The music keeps going and never stops,” 
I tell my son—“Until the bar line?” 
Of course, until the bar line. 
He moves his fingers into place with effort, 
As if moving in the third person; 
As if they are thin sausages on sticks.

A horse-drawn carriage
passes by in another

age—leaves of ash

The church’s framework swayed in the air. 
Inside, big women with big grief 
swayed with all their weight inside, and sang 
big songs to bloom big flowers  

I had no rhythm that day on the bench
sitting in shade, under the oaks and palms.
My thighs stuck to the green bars, 
legs going numb. 
I wanted to stop thirsting. 

(in which mormons worldwide, on easter 2015,  
            do NOT have church service or partake of god’s flesh & blood)

Hsie T’iao** writes a complaint near the Jade Stairs:

o here 
lord—here 
is a platter of treats & refreshment 
in that high priest’s hands— 

muted to inspiration 
since god isn’t here 

“Hi, I’m Brother Jake.” An image of a smiling white man in white shirt and tie flashes across the screen as I watch yet another edition of the “Brother Jake” YouTube video channel. Brother Jake, described by one YouTube commenter as “the Stephen Colbert of Mormon satire,” carries a growing audience through fallacious explanations of controversial or historically problematic aspects of Mormonism.

We will get to the violin playing. First, let’s talk about the dress. On May 17, 2015, the Mormon blogosphere erupted into controversy over the designer gown worn by dancing violinist and YouTube star Lindsey Stirling to the Billboard Music Awards show, where she was to receive the Top Dance/Electronic Album honor. Much of her fan base was torn. Her charm, her quirky fiddle-prancing shtick, and her unapologetic LDS religiosity had made her one of the most eminently Facebookable Mormons in an era in which LDS members have been encouraged quite specifically over the pulpit to share their faith online.