[Newspoetry] A Mistaken Rapture

[Kate McDowell]

This is news, not poetry, but it does feature a hint of poetic justice.

Kate

>> >
>> >ARKANSAS CITY (EAP) --- A Little Rock woman was killed yesterday
>> >after leaping through her moving car's sun roof during an incident
>> >best described as "a mistaken rapture" by dozens of eye witnesses.
>> >
>> >Thirteen other people were injured after a twenty-car pile up resulted
>> >from people trying to avoid hitting the woman who was apparently
>> >convinced that the rapture was occurring when she saw twelve people
>> >floating up into the air,and then passed a man on the side of the
>> >road who she claimed was Jesus.
>> >
>> >"She started screaming "He's back, He's back" and climbed right out
>> >of the sunroof and jumped off the roof of the car," said Everet
>> >Williams, husband of 28-year-old Georgann Williams who was pronounced
>> >dead at the scene.
>> >
>> >"I was slowing down but she wouldn't wait till I stopped," Williams
>> >said. "She thought the rapture was happening and was convinced that
>> >Jesus was gonna lift her up into the sky," he went on to say.
>> >
>> >"This is the strangest thing I've seen since I've been on the force,"
>> >said Paul Madison, first officer on the scene. Madison questioned the
>> >man who looked like Jesus and discovered that he  was dressed up as
>> >Jesus and was on his way to a toga costume party when the tarp covering
>> >the bed of his pickup truck came loose and released twelve blow up
>> >sex dolls filled with helium which floated up into the air.
>> >
>> >Ernie Jenkins, 32, of Fort Smith, who's been told by several of his
>> >friends that he looks like Jesus, pulled over and lifted his arms
>> >into the air in frustration, and said "Come back here," just as the
>> >Williams' car passed him, and Mrs. Williams was sure that it was Jesus
>> >lifting people up into the sky as they passed by him, according to her
>> >husband, who says his wife loved Jesus more than anything else.
>> >
>> >When asked for comments about the twelve sex dolls, Jenkins replied
>> >"This is all just too weird for me. I never expected anything like
>> >this to happen."