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He had
right hand of fellowship privileges to immediately apply to all of us
The right to keep us silent and reverent in the church pew when
Daddy was busy in the back room doing church stuff
And we were
Momentarily
left to our teenage devices
Chewing gum
Low mumblings ear to ear
And checking out Sister so-in-so's daughter
smiling at us from the opposite row
Our John
Had the right to swoop down from the pulpit
To rain fire and brimstone amidst the wilderness
Of our cloudy
And unsaved selves
But he never has to
Because we loved
Our John
With all of the rights and privileges bestowed upon him
Thereof
Whenever daddy was indisposed
momentarily
And the realness that filled
Our John
Comfortably co-existing with the Holy Ghost
And it’s holy boldness towards us
It made
Our John
easy to talk to about that knockout in the tenth round the night before
or that sure touchdown that was dropped in the end zone
and as soon as you let your guard down
amidst his warmth and approachability
Our John
Would tell you about Him
Whose shoes he was also
Unworthy to unlatch
About the one who came before
Our John
The one he served
Unashamedly
boldly
And with all rights and privileges bestowed upon him
Holy boldness
Gentle and tough love
And a direct look into your eye
As you never spoke to
Our John
Sideways
“Boy
When you gonna get saved?
You know you goin straight to hell, don’t you?”
The gospel of
Our John
The voice crying into the wilderness of our unsaved lives
Never discrete
Never in hushed tones
In full possession of all
Right hand of fellowship privileges
Thereof
When daddy stepped away
The right to show us the Google Map
Leading straight to the lake of fire
If we didn’t get saved
Today
And our John
You were most worthy of unlatching the shoes of
the one who came before you
Most worthy of all rights and privileges
Bestowed from heaven and earth
And the wind
Will now forever carry your voice in our collective wildernesses
Your warning to us to be saved today
To be as victorious
As you are today
To never be lost in the forevers
of tomorrow
Something about the name
John
It will always and forever have all
Holy Ghost
rights and privileges
thereof
within all of our wildernesses
until the day we all finally see
the light
