Confessions

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Bobby-J was following me
And in my heart of hearts,
I knew he was up to no good,
So I ran to the one place
I knew he would never go,
The one place
A devil would never enter,
I ran to the church
At the end of main street.

Inside, I slipped into a room,
Hoping to hide within my hiding place.
It was only when I flipped the switch
That I realized I was in a place
I was never supposed to be in,
A place reserved for
Fathers who would never be
Fathers.

Before I could slip back out,
I heard a voice.

"Forgive me father
For I have sinned,
I have been sleeping
With my best friend's husband.
I know it's not right,
I know it would hurt her
If she ever found out,
But I can't help myself.
He does things to me
That my husband could never do,
Would never do, but father,
If you can tell me that
God will forgive me,
I promise I will never
Sleep with that man again."

Before I could say a word,
Utter a phrase or
Exhale a breath,
She was gone, but
I tasted her confession.
It was sweet and tangy,
And I liked it.

Before I could decide
If I should stay or go,
I heard another voice.

"Father, my sin is not new.
 Over 30 years ago,
I killed a man, and
Even though I did my time,
I still see his face
In every mirror,
Every pane of glass,
Even in the still waters
Of the bayou.
Father, I did my time,
I'm a changed man,
A good man. Father,
Tell me that God forgives me,
That he loves me for the man
I am, not the man I was."

And once again,
Before I could say a word,
He was gone.

One by one,
People came and confessed.
Men confessed to
Touching little children,
Women confessed to
Doing unthinkable things,
People confessed to
Big lies and small crimes,
People who were infected
Confessed to infecting others,
People confessed to
Small lies and big crimes.

I heard them all,
Listening to their confessions,
Drinking in their confessions
Until I was as thick as tick
Full of blood and
I wanted more........

So confess to me,
Give me your confessions.

Confess to me
Something you have never
Told your mother and father.

Confess to me
Things you have never
Told your friend or lover.

Confess to me
Things that have never
Been spoken out loud,
Vibrating the air
Just beyond your lips.

Confess to me
Things you have yet
To tell yourself.

Confess to me,
Give me your confessions.


This poem was created for the launch of the Carnival troupe, Myst, for Carnival 2012. The exact poem was not performed and hopefully I will get the video or audio of the performance posted soon.


This poem was also submitted to the dVerse Open Link.