He stood tall and strong
with a Bible in one hand
and a fist of iron as the other.
No one cusses during his sermons
or fell asleep there.
Fire and brimstone
was the way he spoke
and everyone listened.
He took an unruly congregation
and made them toe the line.
While they were in God’s house,
his words were their command.
He knew who the sinners were
and he would eye them out.
Once his gaze was on you,
the only one thing you could do
and that was repent your sins.
His name now lingers
on the tongues of men and women.
He has become a legend in his own time.
The Preacher with fire and brimstone on his mind.
He dresses in black
and says it comes with the territory.
A big brass cross hangs on his chest.
That’s there to deflect the bullets
when he walks down the street.
He can be as ornery as a bobcat
and gentle as a lamb.
This tall Preacher man
aptly named Dodgy Dave.
11-14 February 2008
David Harris
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/ballad-of-dodgy-dave-the-preacher-man-a-spoof-of-me/
