IN that simple room
In that simple room
On those simple Wednesday' noondays
Something of fear
Something of fasting,
Something of faith kindled in my Gramma's spirit
Being handled down
Being forced up.
Not much of love, no not much of hope
But anguish over death without reconsideration
Angst and pain and fear and supplication
Hands folded, knees bent, weeping,
Praying, tarrying, screaming, preyed upon,
Submitting in that simple room
On those simple Wednesday' noondays
Verbatim word
No explanation
And all explicative deleted
Even the explicative at death and decay
And the way of a child’s nightmare
Barging into to daylight
In that simple room
On those simple Wednesday' noondays
My Gramma prayed
And mother Crawley sang
And my sister spoke in tongue
And I wanted to be close to a God
Who didn’t want me,
Because they didn’t want me, really
Only felt responsible
Only felt the need to keep up appearances
Only the need for fear and fasting,
My nerves fraying
My heart failing
To feign real religion.
Billye Okera
© May 4, 2007