{"id":1247,"date":"2011-09-11T15:28:35","date_gmt":"2011-09-11T15:28:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.everywritersresource.com\/shortstories\/?p=1247"},"modified":"2011-09-11T22:38:06","modified_gmt":"2011-09-11T22:38:06","slug":"holy-water-by-keith-hoerner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.everywritersresource.com\/shortstories\/holy-water-by-keith-hoerner\/","title":{"rendered":"Holy Water by Keith Hoerner"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Holy Water<\/h1>\n

?by Keith Hoerner<\/p>\n

I stand at the kitchen sink washing the one thing I took from home after you died: The Madonna and Child statue I meditated on kneeling before you ? being beaten, traumatized, loving you, year after year.<\/p>\n

I wash it gently, remembering the time you unknowingly soaked a statue of St. Joseph ? carved out of salt ?in a sink of warm water.<\/p>\n

You did not realize it would dissolve, desert you like your man-made religion. Only to return later, pushing your hands through the milky-white water, confused, almost frantic, as you thrashed about in search of what you had laid there.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

Keith Hoerner is a recent MFA-in-Writing Graduate who is enjoying a foray into teaching after a successful sales and marketing career. A St. Louisan, his recent work can be read in Mid Rivers Review and Untamed Ink.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Holy Water ?by Keith Hoerner I stand at the kitchen sink washing the one thing I took from home after you died: The Madonna and Child statue I meditated on kneeling before you ? being beaten, traumatized, loving you, year after year. I wash it gently, remembering the time you unknowingly soaked a statue of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[86],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t