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The windows down
Warm sticky air
Salty sweat
Kody’s beside me in the truck
She has a hatchet and I have a hand grenade
We’ve just been driving around town
Screaming **** the earth
Screaming it at all the pretty churchgoers
The school board members
Her old softball coach

I didn’t pay the rent this month
Kody didn’t eat a single vegetable
We ****** about 76 times
She’s been painting really beautiful
Its true talent
Mom sent some mail that said she missed me
I look pathetic trying to react like a son should
I’m almost as free as you would want to be
But what a ******* shame
I have to wake up in a few hours
Christmas for the buddhists


one day there was a young computer **** kid named Johnny Brown
who was only 13 years old, but he had these visions from one visit to a
department store sitting on Santa's lap, you see he wanted to start up
a site on the internet which was www.theredsantadepartmentstore.com
and he told all his friends and everybody laughed at him saying there is
no such thing as Santa and Johnny cried for days and that made his parents
worry and after several attempts they eventually came into his room, to see
what was the matter, and Johnny said, all the kids are laughing at me, just because i
believed in a web site to bring the magic of santa into the real worldy, and hid parents said
ok if you really think that it is the right idea, go for it, but we want to be in the loop, cause it
is dangerous for a 13 year old boy surfing the web without supervision, and Johnny went
about trying to get this website started, and he started with trying a few christmas carols
and not just kids either, he chose rudolph the red nosed reindeer and jingle bells and
silent night and mary's boy child and hark the herald angels sing and joy to the world and
christmas by the pool and when a child is born and he went into finding a way to get it all
together and then take videos of stuff relating to christmas like the local parade where he
took the photo and then did his commentary over the top of the camera, and after the
parade he took it home and did some editing and posted it on his website, and you know
he had about 5,000,000 hits and this made Johnny very happy as he decided to go to the
annual lighting of the christmas tree and he took some great videos of different singers
performing like the great galah and moby ****, and there was some great carols by the
choir, and then a great shot of the tree, yeah Johnny was having a ball and after thar he went home
to do some editing and then a nice man named Robert O'Callaghan who was 67 years old
who said he was the original Santa and it was a buddhist belief and Johnny really liked this guy,
despite his folks saying he is an evil buddhist cause he believed in enlightment, but Johnny
refused to listen and went to the Buddhist centre to meditate and Robert said to Johnny that it is ok
to have a website where you can put the magic into christmas rather than the ****** thing if Jesus
being born, and Johnny went home and posted that on his website and it caused an uproar with
a lot of churchgoers, this made Johnny's parents very angry with him, and they tried so hard to
close down his website but Robert got on the net to tease the parents to let him express himself
and they said he is our son and they said he is our son and he shouldn't suffer like that and Robert said sometimes it is good to suffer to prove a point in this world, but Johnny's parents said he is only 13,
he shouldn't suffer like that, so Robert went into Johnny's school and took Johnny out to say you
must fight for what you believe in and he told him the story of how his parents thought he was the
devil because he believes in buddhism but if you really want to keep this website happening you must
work on a speech explaining how this cansave the world, so he went into his room and surfed the web
looking for the right things to say for his speech and he first of all learnt about buddhism and he learnt they respect everyone loud and quiet, and there are some people who are Buddhists who love christmas for the peace idea, so he started to write his speech of what he learnt and he learnt that
buddhists believe in staying on earth and mending each blade of grass, which helps healing everyone,
you know christians just believe in jesus saves but what the real story is that story is that knowing there
is a chance that you can live forever will save the world cause Christians hate when people do evil things saying once a crim always a crim, and Johnny explains that Robert posts all his info on his
buddhism website and he saves more people than Jesus ever could, cause buddhists respect you
if you are consertavative or very loud, as long as you don't fight that is ok, and yes Robert says that
Buddhists think Christmas brings peace and it is handy to know Santa brings the spirit than Jesus does,
cause Robert was the original Santa Claus and he can bring peace on earth quicker than quicker than christians because knowing you will never leave this earth is good enough like if it is too late for them but if you can live forever you should try because it will be fun to beat death once and for all and i believe to start this website to one day bring the magic of Santa into the real world and really say that
buddhism is the devil, and the only devil is the phedaphiles who do harm to kids of this land, we need
the kids to be happy, christmas is about peace on earth and good will to everyone and staying on earth believing you were born before this life is sign enough to go on living life like it's a big adventure cause
you will never know what the future has in store, so just live and forget about what others are doing, after getting his speech written he brought it Robert who proof read and did a few changes and then said to Johnny yourself out, you can do anything if you put your mind to it, so Johnny went around from
department store to department store trying to get approval to set up a table to show people the buddhist belief of christmas and every department store knocked him back it ruins people's Christmas
spirit despite Johnny saying hundreds and hundreds of times that this could help the future but still christians were getting upset and were rioting for days saying evil is in the Browns house, they believe in buddhism and buddhists are evil and this got mr and mrs Brown very angry with Johnny but Johnny said, this is piece have a read, it is fun but the parents said no you should learn that you are disobeying
the christian code and Johnny said no my way is more peaceful cause Santa brings happiness to christmas and Jesus brings suffering, and the parents left thinking their son is disappearing and losing touch on reality, saying you are going to die one day and we have a place for you in heaven and Johnny being young and not knowing the buddhist code about peace said, **** heaven, even though Robert liked it when Johnny said that Robert said they sound like the devil preachers, and you need
to understand they are doing it for your own benefit but if you want to believe that, by all means spread
the word but remember buddhists aren't preachers, no it's not a religion either, it's a way of life, and those crazy christians need to understand that they are not forming the work of the devil, but you must understand your parents though they are just protecting you buddy, and on that Johnny went into his room staying there for days and was thinking of a speech to read at the carols by candlelight with everything he has learnt by Robert, and he threw out so many pieces of paper one by one, till he found out what to say and then he ran down to the buddhist centre and told Robert, and Johnny and Robert went on the net via email to get himself a 15 minute spot on carols by candlelight in there local district and  they eventually got an appointment to have an interview at 2.30 two days before to see whether
it is worthy or not and they weren't very friendly implying that they are big christian ******* who don't deserve any credit and they said leave it with us and we'll let you know and Robert and Johnny left the
office very nervous about it all and Robert went back to the buddhist centre and Johnny went back to his room to write a new buddhist Christmas carol which went like this
A ray of a candle which is lighting up the sky
on the people walking down on earth
and a silver tongue was placed
on the devil's spear like this
is the day when buddha is born
and then some monks come
glittering through the sky
and the buddhist chant is at a
volume all so high
and everyone come along
and cheer with us
this is the day that buddha was actually was born
so this is the time we celebrate this fantastic day,
you know Buddha respects Aussie American
british, africa, and the middle east and south america too
and also they help tonga, isreal, and taibet and
the great oceans of the world
and yes after many attempts to get that right, Johnny ran down to the buddhist centre and showed Robert the song and Robert said this is great, and i have some good news Johnny, we are going
to have you read your speech at the christmas carols by candlelight at 6-45, and bring this song with us, and we can see if you can sing this too, and when the day of the christmas carols by candlelight
approached Robert and Johnny right before gearing up for the events and Johnny's parents went as
well because if they think buddhists are evil, they decided to support their son in his beliefs and at 6-45
Johnny came out to read his speech and also sing his song and everyone in the crowd clapped Johnny
like he had just won an Emmy because really he really got his message across and everyone was happy from that point on, Robert felt good about being a buddhist and Johnny helped there once a week getting help understanding buddhist philosophies and learning new things as normal kids do, and
johnny's parents tried to understand more about buddhism to get on board themselves and after 3 years they helped at the buddhist centre too and everyone had a great Christmas, buddhist style.
the end
Sand Aug 2014
Orange rinds and coffee grinds
Take me back to easy Sunday afternoons
Playing chess with former churchgoers in your tiny café.

I met a man who didn't believe in God
But instead put his faith into the Queen
"She protects" he'd say after ousting another piece of mine
"He forgets" he'd mumble as an afterthought, directed at no one.

But as it goes one fateful day
Student surpassed teacher
And didn't think twice about killing the Queen.

As if a bomb detonated just within the cappuccino brown walls
The chessboard flung against the wall
Causalities flying in all directions
A porcelain blood bath.

He left in a hurried huff
All owl eyes all snapped in my direction
I sat frozen -- shocked.

You broke the trance
Kneeled down to pick up the fallen Queen
Placed Her Royal Majesty in my right hand
Placed a free coffee on my table.

The café resumed it's normal character
Scattered chatter and newspaper shuffling
I took a sip of the burnished brown liquid
Tasted a hint of bitter citrus
And came to conclude that there exists a distinct conflict between
Power and Empathy.
Holly Salvatore May 2013
What if Judas was a scapegoat?
A man who had so much
Faith in planning
That he
Would **** his God for it
With just the slightest
Hesitation
He became unable
To live within the new world he created
Bear the consequence of forgiveness
Sometimes consequences
**** you by your own hand
And what if Revelation
Is a metaphor
For the wickedness of human nature
For the private palaces and castles
Golden idols
Hells and heavens in our heads
I ask
But Lori won't have it
She is far too literal
For all my liberal *******
She pulls my wayward soul
Back into the real world
Back in with the churchgoers
And Jim hugs the life
Back in my chest
They have held my hands
Through valleys full of death
And breakups
They have seen my makeup
Smeared across my face
They have seen me in the worst places
Wearing all my worst faces
And they still invite me over for dinner
So I fear no evil
When the Kaisers are with me
For they are witty
They are beautiful from the inside out
They are not afraid to get loud
And they have taught me
Everything I know about
Being a Christian
Even though I lose my way
Even though I lost my faith
In definitions
Wandering doesn't mean I'm lost for good
Just exploring my options
With my feet bathed in still waters
Getting tan
In green pastures
I will have these holy verses
Tattooed in my brain
Forever
All the comfort and humanity
All the divinity I could ask for
All the love I'll ever need
And just because they've
Heard me cuss
And seen me bleed
And probably
Read my ****** poetry
They would never judge me
They'd just slap me on the back
And say
"Quit worrying. Jesus loves you honey."
And in their prayers that night they'd mention me
So God could hear my name
The title kind of explains it. Jim and Lori Kaiser are retiring from teaching sunday school and I was asked to write to them and tell them what they have meant to me. (I could just tell them, I'm at their house enough). So this one is for them. I love you guys.
preservationman Sep 2015
Dr. James C. Kelly the vision that he saw
Salvation being another church at first
Rev. Dr. Kelly who saw New Jerusalem in having its own verse
The foundation in bringing churchgoers in
The name New Jerusalem on a journey of begin
New Jerusalem Worship Center formerly New Jerusalem Baptist Church
Welcomed arms in God’s sight
God opened more for to see the light
The church surrounded Dr. Kelly’s preach
It was the souls he was trying to reach
New Jerusalem’s work that is not complete
We are the congregation being God’s receipt
New Jerusalem is determined to go on
It doesn’t matter for how long
I didn’t know personally Rev. Dr. James Kelly
But I heard stories of what this great man accomplished and it was his preaching words
The vision, a time to prayer
It is also a reason to relay
God will continue to bless New Jerusalem
We must keep the legacy of Dr. Kelly and New Jerusalem alive
Through the efforts of Dr. Kelly, the spirit of Founder still yet remains
It’s Heaven bound being a continuous aim
Rev. Dr. Kelly will always have a place at New Jerusalem being home
This is where salvation will continue to roam
Home is where Dr. Kelly has arrived
His legacy is what keeps New Jerusalem alive
Tomorrow being yonder
Dr. Kelly’s accomplishment being an applause
A Dove has flown in
This is God’s goodness in a new horizon to begin
Praises in place of tears
The joy in having no fear
The heart holding God close and near
The soul of Dr. Kelly that New Jerusalem will continue to preserver
What matters most that salvation be spread coast to coast
We as the flock should not boost
God’s word stands for all
The homecoming of Dr. Kelly being Heaven’s call
Heaven summoned with an awakening wind
But we as the flesh were thinking from then
Rev. Dr. James Kelly work that was complete
It was his encouragement and telling us not to give into defeat
We are his among
We now look on Dr. Kelly being upon
New Jerusalem is only a name
Salvation being a serious business
We are the faith being the witness
Rise on your feet and repeat, “Rev. James Kelly, you have enriched us with praises words can’t express, but it is God who says it best, Good Old Faithful servant, a job well done”.
Syzygy Dec 2014
Holiday.
Blurs of Red and Green.
The smell of peppermint and pine
lingering in the atmosphere.

Sounds of bells chiming
Ringing
And carolers singing
As churchgoers
also join together in their hymns.

Family
joining together.
Couples
under the mistletoe
and hearing
the crackle
of wood burning
in the fireplace
Enlightening everyone all around
With its warmth.
Happy holidays ^w^
Andrew Rueter Mar 2019
I’ve been given a life of bliss
Into the church I slip
To worship this
First on the list
Is where to sit
In the holy pit
Of soul and spit

In the church there’s a battle
Between a serpent’s rattle
And the deafened cattle
There’s heaven and hell
In the seven sins I smell
Tainting the holy well
In which I dwell

I see pews
Of bad news
And my muse
But shy blues
Make lies loom
And I’ll die soon
In this spite tomb
Where I hide doom

The flamethrower
Game goer’s
Blame lowers
Shame knowers
To lanes slower
And a constrictive halo
Doesn’t let brains grow
So if the pastor say so
They’ll live in a daze glow

Their entropy
And my atrophy
Start centering
Around catastrophe
When what has to be
Is shooting flak at me
Dastardly

Two sides collide
And I must abide
To survive
The hive
Where demons and angels
Are leaving me mangled
Constantly tangled
In their angles

Some are good
Some are evil
Jesus saves
But do his people?
Frank Russell Feb 2014
Churchgoers
sing certainty hymns while
heavens weep

- fr
Ashlyn Kriegel Apr 2014
She was the daughter of two healthy churchgoers,
A sister of a little rebellious girl,
And a list maker herself.
She made lists of the simple:
What to buy at the grocery store,
What to pack for her vacation,
What she needed to do for the week,
What CDs she wanted to buy.
She made lists of the complicated:
What she wanted to do with her life
(While comparing it to the list of what everyone else wanted,)
Who she would have to say goodbye to
(All too soon and sooner than she realized,)
Where she planned to travel in the future
(Granted she wasn’t drowning in debt,)
How she could easily **** herself
(Even though she had no intentions to do so.)
She was a pensive, well-spoken woman,
Someone who loved with all her heart,
And made lists to make herself feel better.
Lists of the pets she wanted,
The names she liked,
The books to read,
The letters to write,
The addresses of friends,
The dreams of hers,
The movies to watch,
The poems to memorize.
Her lists brought a sense of organization,
A false feeling of having it all figured out,
Despite the fact she knew her life could crumble
At any moment from all the pressure.
She was convinced the world was weighing her down
To be a certain person,
When in reality, all the heaviness came from herself.
She thought she would let down her family,
But she would only let down herself.
A world where the ground was made of words and the sky of paper
Saturated her vision,
And her lists kept her ignorant,
Her lists kept her happy.
(It’s all too sad until you know,
That the list maker is me.)
Mountain winds carry the church carillon through town ,
hymns echo across sleepy juniper meadows and hamlets for miles around ..
Neighbors gather for Sunday morning service , children laugh and
play throughout city square park benches and monuments , husbands and wives are rather 'chatty' and quite proud in their finest attire ..
Restaurants open at noon , hungry churchgoers celebrate life
and togetherness , one day out of the week the locals swoon jointly
over the month of June , impending harvest , all that is good in the world on a sleepy , thankful afternoon ..
Copyright February 7 , 2016 by Randolph L Wilson * All Rights Reserved
Lucio Apr 2018
Music is the elixir to my soul
Lyrics make it feel better, after the world has taken  its toll
Songs written it seems about  me and my life
They make me smile and sing, while others cut like a knife

These sounds  may change as quick as a guitar riff
If it's rap, acoustic, or punk rock it makes no big diff
For me everyday I sprinkle in some Tony Sly
Lyrically one of the best, why'd he have to die

“ I need a beat, the sounds to calm me down
Lyrics that are deep that keep me a float while I drown
This world's so ******, it needs a cure, some type of mixture
Everyone needs to slow down, I've got the elixir”

A few of them even use a catchy metaphor
About, how their ex walked all over them like a linoleum floor
These songs bring out the suffering and joy of the people
They all flock to concerts like churchgoers to a steeple

Only a few actually take the time to actually decipher
And once injected with knowledge  of a song  they become a convicted lifer
So turn up the sound and flip over the records
Let the music dispense with all of life’s discords

“ I need a beat, sounds to calm me down
Lyrics that are deep that keep me a float while I drown
This world's so ******, it needs a cure, some type of mixture
Everyone needs to slow down, I've got the elixir”
i.
The pale man with a fat collar sharpened his teeth to bite
into the pulp of a psalm. I envied him
closer to God and nearly having eaten the microphone.

ii.
        Suddenly, the bobbing aisles and shuffling pews cease
        to biblical current.
        Behind him is a fountainhead of distraction.
        The mosaics are rich in blood orange
        and specs of sunlight
        through stained glass electrify
        young churchgoers into a disco scene.

iii.
A Xavier boy is likely to yank the ponytail of the girl in front of him again. His khakis will become an eyesore in an overpopulated neighborhood of plaid skirts. I will find myself searching the room for disruption. And during that time, God will be searching for me.
morning mists
along hilly country roads

the sun
   not quite awake yet
struggling to rise
above a drowsy
   Sunday landscape
sends out occasional
left-footed rays

we speed along
   quietly
images of the past
time together
on our minds

   walks on the beach
   and through old lanes
   dinners at the ocean
   wild nights
   lovely late mornings

we keep passing early churchgoers
in stirring villages

the sun keeps gathering strength
the world turns clear

the mists of our memories
dissolve into
the moment of parting

* *
the ceiling light at the door flickered
and the hair on my arms
stood like a thousand churchgoers
rising from their pews at the Priest's command
I knew I had a visitor in my hotel room
Spirits can be very particular about what you ask them
I inquired about the flickering light and his or her name
with no response
but then I asked;  'do you like to stay in this room?'
and I was amazed to immediately hear their response
'I...like the room'

the direct responses are the most rewarding
the connection narrows the divide
between the living and the dead
we are all connected
and to those who grieve for their loved ones
who's spirit lives on minus this mortal coil
it is just a matter of time
before we are reunited for eternity

https://youtu.be/8DpLlxnr0eM
recorded this amazing evp while in this hotel room
Sally A Bayan Apr 2021
🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯

Lighted candles were placed
on top of empty church pews.
in the absence of churchgoers,
tiny flames flickered on,
to mourn for the dead,
to bring hope back to life,
and to lift to God all pleas,
floating in the atmosphere.

⚡️⚡️⚡️ ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

some flames burned still, some were
fervent...a mix of exasperation and
anger were silenced, as God's mercy
and intervention were sought,
⚡️⚡️⚡️ ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
to shut down infection,
to accelerate vaccination
to stop the race between
the two.....but, we cannot,
it's a sad reality, we don't
have what it takes...we don't
have that kind of power.
⚡️⚡️⚡️ ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
there're those who sincerely care,
and some....really don't care.

⚡️⚡️⚡️ ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

Today, Sunday, in most churches,
the pews will be empty....again.
.
⚡️⚡️⚡️ ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️



sally b

© Rosalia Rosario A. Bayan
    April 11, 2021
Okay church,now let's get in formation.
Prove to him you've got some cooperation.

And as I speak these words from the depths
of my heart,quite loud and clear
Please,be not filled with fear
It might seem queer but I tell you now
It's only Jesus  who can help you here


The bible says we ought to love one another,
embrace one another and encourage one another
But see,just the other day,I saw another gossiping
bout the other
It came not as a surprise to me that we churchgoers
say such slanderous words about our fellow brothers
But what is saddening is how we tryna act all holy,
quoting all bible verses
quoting O Christ Jesus
Nyasha and Kamo over there being the first one to state the ten commandments!

Rise and shine,sleeping church!
We are blinded by the world's behaviour
We are deceived by the world animosity
We are lured by the world's conformity

Don't be swayed,let's set our own standards
and be our own people.
Jesus says,we are a peculiar people,a chosen
generation,a royal priesthood.

Rise and shine,sleeping church!
Don't you ever feel guilty that Jesus Christ
died on the cross of calvary for you and me.
For you and me to be who we were meant to be.
For you and me to gaze at this marvelous creation
so we may be a peculiar people in this blasphemous nation
For you and me to be adorned in the finest of jewels,shoes
and dresses
so that when our enemies look at us,they see God's good grace'sss.

Rise and shine,sleeping church!
Jesus promises us an eternal home up with him.
A heavenly future.

Okay church,now let's get in formation.
Prove to him you've got some cooperation.
Scorpius Nov 17
Seven souls
Visited
This morning.
Arranged
On the line
In a two
A three
And two ones.
And one one
Sang
For the group
A swirling song
I knew
And I missed
Them
When they fled
The churchgoers’ traffic
Without saying
Goodbye.
Aditya Roy Feb 2021
As another shot fired in the dark
After dusk, the churchgoers found God
They said show me your heart through that veil
God resides in the kindness of strangers

Kisses on the burning lake, the cold ice of the stars
We look at the skies, the comets fall our way
Show me yourself through the heart of darkness
I will show you mine, I promise I will come closer with the moonlight

Take off your disguise and don't let out a sigh
Curl yourself next to me as tendrils clasp a shack in the woods
And show me your heart
And I promise I would if I could
Obtained thee from up
Just a second gap
For years with a crowd
Holy float enshroud
“San Enchero” leaf

From a man on top
Near the icon’s lap
Devotee clusters
Among churchgoers
Near highschool classmates

It’s a holy day
It is Good Friday
At early evening
After float blessing
Twenty-Ninth of March

About church in front
Diagonal slant
Where people gather
Here banwa proper
One of the last floats

It’s memorable
For I was able
To effortless pick
Now’s so very quick
About one second!

-03/29/2013
(Dumarao)
*My Toladas Collection
My Poem No. 200

— The End —