Practical Religion: a poem by Juan Pablo Mobili

car engine, image by Michael Kauer, on Pixabay, modified

Practical Religion

The prodigal son is fixing his mother’s

battered car, next door. He arrived

quietly this morning while it was still dark,

and he will be gone by the time she’s awake

and gets ready for church, so grateful

when she turns the ignition on.

I first noticed him when he was a teenager,

learning his trade on an old pickup,

his hand touching the carburetor the way

he held his mother’s hand during service.

__________________________

Juan Pablo Mobili was born in Buenos Aires,

and adopted by New York. His poems appear

in Tupelo Quarterly, Hanging Loose Magazine,

Louisville Review, and The Worcester Review, 

among others, as well as publications in Europe,

Asia, Latin America, and Australia. He’s a recipient

of multiple Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net

nominations and an Honorable Mention from

the International Human Rights Art Festival.

His chapbook, Contraband, was published

in 2022 and, in January of 2025, he was appointed

Poet Laureate of Rockland County, New York.

(April 2026 issue)