You people that say
“There aren’t any gays
In my race or church!”
You’re so wrong, I say.
You’re so wrong
It will be hard to get back
To right, you know,
Where you went off track.

You people that say
There are no gays
In our holy country
You’re wrong too, I say.
You’re hiding something
About yourself to say it.
You’re driving yourself crazy
The way you want to play it.

You people that say
“Jesus hates blacks and gays!”
You are totally wrong
That’s not what the book says.
You people that think
You know the path to heaven
Couldn’t find you way
If it was at the Seven Eleven.

You people that say
“God damns you people to hell!”
Haven’t read that book
Or understand it very well.
The book never has Jesus
To utter one punishing word.
So, where did it come from,
All that hatred you have heard?

You people that say
“There aren’t any gays
In my race or church!”
You’re so wrong, I say.
You’re so wrong
It will be hard to get back
To right, you know,
Where you went off track.

Common Church Poem (V4)
By Michael Lee Johnson

Sitting here in this pew
splinters in my ****
I spend hours in silent prayer.
I beg Jesus for a quiet life.
Breathing here is so serene.
Sounds of vespers, so beautiful
dagger, so alone, unnoticed.
You can hear Saints
clear their eardrums
Q-Tips cleanse mine.
I hear their scandals
I review mine.

Bow down to that maroon sundress,
That claimed many hearts and fame,
Rift aside the mysterious gloom,
Sorry the waves that has gone insane.
Shower the dust of breathing colours,
Wreck my boat of hope,
Glimpse the labels of your cold skin,
Tie me up by your robust rope.
Cut me deep, right my wrong,
Show my endless efforts a parade,
On a fair night, take a leap,
Swim with me in summer lemonade.
So ring the church bells hard and low,
This man had done a sin,
Fire the guns and leave me stranded,
I am high on your love gin.

My thoughts are an angry ocean and I've been tossed out to sea.
I'm drowning.
Lord calm them, please.

i remember riding shotgun
between my ma and pa
mom had on the radio
dad chewed on his chaw

I always rode the middle
Every time in that old truck
I could feel each bounce and bump
Somtimes I had to duck

Ma would play the radio
Jesus music filled the air
Daddy, turned and looked away
Just like he didn't care

Daddy was in Vietnam
He met Ma when he got back
He lost ******* in the war
From a sneak enemy attack

Ma grew up in Jamestown
A small town in Tennessee
Nothing there but the old mine
Nothing much for one to see

She went to church on Sundays
Listened to  WCLC
Jesus music all the time
For the folks in Tennessee

Each Sunday after service
Pa would pick us up at church
He never went inside though
He didn't quite like Pastor Birch

Daddy only owned one suit
He'd had it since the war
He wore it to get married in
It didn't fit no more

The sleeves had gotten shorter
The chest was far too tight
But, since he didn't go to church
To pa....it fit just right

Ma would sit and listen
And I would watch my pa
He'd make faces out the window
Never ever to my ma

Pa had faith, but different
He believed in what he saw
And what struck his eyes in war time
He could never tell my Ma

So, we would go to market
After church, each Sunday morn
Ma would go in shopping
We rush her with the old truck horn

She'd cuss pa when she got back
He'd just smile, enough to say
Let's get home, daylights wasting
There's still chores to do today

When I was nine, well almost ten
Ma got sick, I mean, real bad
She was being called to heaven
And I remember that my Dad

Took me into town to shop
To get a suit and shoes
Before we went he sat me down
And told me the bad news

I cried, for near an hour
Funny thing, my pa did too
I'd never seen this happen
To me, well...this was new

He said, you're ma's a fine one
She's the best person that I know
Now, she's wanted up in heaven
That's all...we need to go

Ma died three days later
Pa phoned up Old Pastor Birch
He told him what had happened
And made plans to use the church

In all my life, I'd never seen
My pa dressed up so good
He said, I don't look perfect
But, I done the best I could

Pa's been gone for thirty years
And you know, I've got his suit
Not the new one that he bought that day
But, the one...he gave the boot

It reminds of the better times
When Ma and Pa and me
would ride out on a Sunday
I'd be shotgun, just to see

I remember riding shotgun
With Ma and Pa, and it was good
Jesus Music on the radio
As I think back...it was good

It was just another day
We were going to worship and pray.
We didn't know that we were prey.
In God's own house-
Sacred house-
We were just nine.
Nine people.
Nine families.
Nine Deaths.
Shot and killed like fish in a pond,
Not a single chance to escape.

I had a vivid dream
about a shallow stream;
I found myself sitting on the bank,
holding on to myself as a crank.
I’m not ready to stray
But I don’t want to pray.

I need to build a church of my own;
Nothing better than to stay at home
Demons and sinners dive into
this nightmare of mine and dine
on my faith and safety;
Haunted and hunted, I hear the Banshee.

The scene is dimmed already;
Though, my church is not ready.
I try to stay down to the stream
but I got burned by the steam.
My stream is gone,
The dream has been undrawn.