A small town’s “historic” church was vandalized.
In the dead of night, it was reported,
an unknown number of assailants broke into
the open church, climbed up the unlocked tower,
and dismembered the church bell.
At seven the next morning,
though the bell’s body swayed,
no percussive ringing filled the air;
the clapper was gone.
One reporter asked about possible leads:
a high-school prank?
a hate crime?
terrorism?
The wooden seats groaned
as uneasy journalists shifted
from one ass-cheek to the other.
The police gave no comment,
citing an ongoing investigation.
Is there anything more useless than
a bell with no tongue?