A True Child Of The Buddha In Brooklyn 2 Poem by Charles Chaim Wax

Edgar Parrott lost four fingers
on his left hand,
his left ear and left eye
when a pack of firecrackers
unexpectedly exploded
in his face at the age of ten.
Soon he became prey
to all the bullies in the neighborhood.
Father Flynn protected him.
Sadly, he was also
a devotee of young boys.
For two years Edgar was subject
to his whims.
Then he told his parents.
Father Flynn denied all,
declaring Edgar to be delusional.
They believed the beloved Priest
rather than their son.
Edgar lost faith in the Catholic Church,
and also his parents.
He withdrew into himself,
unable to resolve the events
which had befallen him.
At the age of thirteen he stopped speaking.
At the age of twenty his parents put him away.
While at Southbeach Mental Hospital
he began to converse with Jesus.
He said these conversations
gave him solace.
He forgave Father Flynn
and resolved to become a Priest.
When he tried to enter the Seminary
he was rejected as “unstable.”
After that he enrolled in CCNY,
studied assiduously, achieved his degree,
then began teaching English at Spinoza HS.
During the twelve years he taught
he went through being
a Mormon, a Baptist,
an Orthodox Jew, Hinduism, Scientology,
and now
he was a participant
in our Zen Buddhist group,
The Coney Island Sangha.
Since my beloved teacher
Kogaku Roshi
had said time and time again,
“All welcome”
We welcomed him.