At Church, I Tell My Mom She’s Singing Off-Key and She Says,
I ain’t off-key. I just stepped out the key
so when I return,
you can understand the key a little bit better.
The preacher isn’t the only
teacher. Why hit a note on the head
when I can kill it? You mean to tell me
you come here week after week
and want the same old Amazing
Grace? Just cause the Blood will never lose its power
don’t mean a melody won’t.
My ministry may not be song, but I got a song
to sing. I done made it from Sunday
to Sunday. You expect me not to celebrate
and thank God, with my hands raised,
my flats off, my full and open
throat?
Notes:
“Not Too Hard to Master” is a series of poets writing on form and sharing a prompt. Read Michael Frazier’s essay on persona, “It’s Not a Mask If You Wear It Right,” his poems “Michael Receives Advice from Marceline the Vampire, the Queen of the Deadbeat Daddy Issues, on How to Cope with an Absent Father” and “What the Moon Said to Michael,” as well as his writing prompt.
Source:
Poetry
(May 2024)
