Jesus in the Park...

and that evening at the park revival
at Pratt Park
he sang about Jesus
and as he sang
he walked
and walked toward the street
towards a bench
a bench were the young drug dealers
openly sell drugs
as the police drive by
as the children play
as the crack heads
(who are people just as we are)
with a sickness
worship a temple
of white stones
that melt
and sizzle
like false embers of
hidden pain
as the mothers
and fathers of our community
sit in their houses
in complicit silence
in obsequious submission
to children
sitting on a bench
wearing gold
and expensive tennis shoes
and sagging pants
this park bench
our Pastor
walked right up to those
children and sang to them
as a Man of God
a manifestation of Christ
confrontational
revolutionary
as Jesus
a man of 5 feet and 5 inches
in this action
in this stand
I could see the promise of the world
if we all
one at a time
would confront evil
speak truth to power
speak love to wrong
speak right to hate
to the bench on 21st & Yesler
and we can only imagine
what those innocent young
boys possessed by the demon
of our urban drug culture
learned that day
about
themselves
and about
Jesus