GodCon 2012

I was walking out of Penn Station
That's when I saw him
He was slouched up against a lamp post
Smoking a pipe
One of those carved meerschaum jobs
It had a bare breasted woman on the front
Like a figurehead on a ship

I couldn't tell how old he was
One moment he was ancient
All deep wrinkles and white beard
The next
All I could spot was the youth in his eyes
And a mischievous half smile as he saw me

I said hello
He returned the salutation

I saw his shirt
There was a convention badge on it
It said
"Hello, My Name is Yahweh"

I told him I liked his name
Though it seemed a bit unusual

"Well, that's my name, only one I've ever had"

I told him that I half didn't believe him
I mean, how many parents would name their kid "Yahweh"?

He replied

"You may not believe me, but at least you believe IN me"

That confused me

He went on to explain

"Do you see anyone else around here with a badge similar to mine right now?"

I looked around
And there was just the usual bunch of New Yorkers
With a few crazies here and there nearby
Talking to themselves
One seemed to be a foreigner
Norwegian maybe?
I couldn't tell
But it sounded like some Norse language he was talking to himself in

I told Yahweh I didn't see anyone else like that

"Well, I have a secret for you
By my count there are no less than a dozen of us out here."

Wait
Us?
What do you mean by "Us"?

"Gods, of course! This is the NYC God Convention 2012
I don't miss these events
A marvelous time to get together with one's peers"

I still don't get it
And I tell him so
Sure, the convention part is easy to understand
But there wasn't anyone else around
I start to edge away from him slightly
This guy just might be insane

He clapped me on the shoulder

"Oh now don't be like that!
Why, right over there is Odin."

He's pointed at a spot next to the babbling Norse tourist
I ask if he means the tourist

"No, the one the tourist is talking to"

I don't see anyone, and I tell him so

"That's because you don't have faith in Odin, now do you?"

I didn't, but then again, I really didn't have faith in a god named Yahweh anymore either

"Yes, you do. Not as much as you once did, but it sticks with you, trust me
Otherwise, I'd be as invisible to you as Odin over there, "

He presses a plastic pass card into my hand

"Here, I'm on a panel this afternoon at three.
We'll be discussing Gods in America
You might like it."

I told him that if I could only see and hear him
That the panel wouldn't be quite as good as it could be

"Nonsense, we all type our answers out as we say them
That way everyone can enjoy the program
The public is invited
I expect to see you there"

He shakes my hand warmly
A sense of calm floods over me

"It's all right
Have a little faith!"

And with that twinkle in his eye
He walks back into the Garden Expo Center

I'm all by myself on the sidewalk again

Or, am I?