Don’t mix politics and church they said,
so I left him at the door.
I crossed the name I liked
folded the piece of paper,
and posted it, dutifully.
Don’t talk politics at church they said,
so I left him at the door.
I sang the hymns,
said the prayers
and listened, dutifully.
Don’t think politics in church they said,
so I left him at the door.
I ignored the news,
dismissed the issues,
and nodded, dutifully.
It’s not politics they said
as I stepped over him at the door.
It’s not politics which made him hungry, homeless, or thirsty.
I’d left him at the door, dutifully.
Gary Hopkins