Sleepover at Goya's, by Bill Stadick

Saturn Devouring His Children, by Francisco Goya (Spain) c. 1823

​Sleepover at Goya's 
​
You knew the world wasn't all
Thomas Kinkades when you accepted
his ineluctable invitation,

but lying here in the Prado,
snug-zippered into your bag and staring

at Saturn snarfing a son like a pizza roll,
it's all you can do to game-face it,
make the best of a bad by numbering

each witch on his wall of witches--
one-witch, two-witch--
like counting sheep, you hope
it brings on sleep--
three-witch, no dice.

Hang it, 
             it's off to El Greco's to let

The Holy Trinity keep patient watch over
what's left of this dark night of your soul.

Madrid, 1999 

Bill Stadick

Bill Stadick has published poetry for more than three decades in many publications, including First Things, Barren Magazine, The Windhover, The Christian Century, The Ekphrastic Review and The Cresset. His chapbook, Family Latin, will be published in January 2020. In addition, he is a featured poet in the anthology, In a Strange Land: Introducing Ten Kingdom Poets (Wipf and Stock, 2019).

Holy Trinity, by El Greco (Spain, b. Greece) 1579