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| From Salem, MA |
I listened one Saturday in October
To a Southern preacher
Decrying Halloween from behind a statue
Of Bewitched star Elizabeth Montgomery
In Salem, Massachusetts, in 2012,
And I waited for the kindness of the gospel.
It did not come.
When the zombie parade began,
A biker revved his engine
To drown out the sounds of the Southern preacher
Who talked about the dark days when he
Hated and masturbated
Before Jesus came.
There were children present;
They cheered the zombies
Who dare to be the living dead,
Who frame the hunger for kindness with,
"Fuck you. I'm here, ass hole, and I'm breathing your air."
What do you say, standing there?
Nothing?
I think nothing.
I think perhaps the greatest kindness
Involves abandoning
The freedom to speak.
One Single Impression
16 Comments
what a powerful statement you made. i think we have so much power in our words of hate, criticism, judgement.
ReplyDeleteI agree powerful statement. We don't have to exercise all our rights all the time do we.
ReplyDeleteI've listened in vain for kind words of street preachers myself. I've seen lots of street "doers" who are kind to others, without drawing attention to themselves.
Powerful indeed and I, too, couldn't agree more!!! How did kindness and acceptance get lost in the messages of so many street preachers??? Like Yogi, I've seen more kind street doers than I have preachers.
ReplyDeletea contest no one could truly win.....we should all think of the venue and attendees before speaking what we might call our minds.....nicely done
ReplyDeleteso true...words as silence may frustrate!
ReplyDeleteAh, if only people realised freedom of speech should come in line with tolerance of others.
ReplyDeleteGreat message.
Abusing one's freedom is certainly not a kindness.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletewise and great kindness indeed, Sandy
ReplyDeleteWarm Aloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
> < } } ( ° >
Oh good grief...maybe the best (kindest?) thing to say would be that it is no wonder this "preacher" has to be out on the street and doesn't have a church (at least I hope there aren't too many people who would listen to this on purpose.).
ReplyDeleteBut I wondered, does Salem like having the Elizabeth Montgomery statue there? I mean I used to like the show sort-of, but it seems kind of frivolous in light of the real history there.
I think in this instance you are wise to keep your thoughts to yourself. But your observations speak volumes.
ReplyDeleteSheesh
Hugs
SueAnn
Loved your piece!
ReplyDeleteHi Sandy ~~ If only that preacher could read your poem and be reminded in some what the damages he is doing.
ReplyDeletePreachers out to be schooled in public behavior like medical and educational people are. There are some classic examples of real pigs out there.
Not just Southern ones either, I hear there are a few in Chicago(read Virginia, San Fransisco, Toronto, etc, you fill it in) too.
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So well penned Sandy. I hope the preacher spends a little time blessing, forgets about condemning and is silent.
ReplyDelete"I think perhaps the greatest kindness, Involves abandoning,
ReplyDeleteThe freedom to speak." Amen Sandy. Sometimes, it is better to remain silent than to evoke words that hate or offend.
Yes, I agree. Very powerful.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being here.