By Annika Lee
Author’s note: This is a type of found poem from the source text of 1 Corinthians 7, the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) edition. The selections were made only from the first word of each line (or multiple words, in the case of “a wife” and “a slave”). The work is a deliberate attempt to do rhetorical violence to a sacred text about gender roles in marriage. The poem has the look of a ransom note and should be taken as such: the author is figuratively holding the Apostle Paul hostage and will not give him back until her demands are met.
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