Fair Enough People Of My Congregation Poem by Sarah Mkhonza

We have entered the door of this church
Day in and out and prayed till the sky
Yielded seeing our tears wiped with tissues
That when wet left pieces of paper on our
faces. Till you know that the offering
Will go around the world and reach the
Poorest of us, we might as well give up.

Fair enough people of my congregation
We have sung hymns old and now my voice
Is horse for how many times my breath
Went out toward the alter where the candle
Remained lit and went out when I left
Till we take the man who sleeps on
The bench outside and help him find a
Place to live we might as well go home.

Fair enough people of my congregation
We have worn beautiful clothes and come
To sing for the Lord and thank him for
He loves sinners like us for we know
Ourselves and know how to present our
Emptiness before the angels. Till we
Go to the sick and touch them with love
We have another thought coming.

Fair enough people of my congregation
We have turned the pages of the bible
Until they got worn out in Psalm
Twenty three. Till we shepherd others
The way the book tells us we are by
The Lord we haven't started yet.

Fair enough people of my congregation
We have told the story of the widow's
Mite a thousand times and thrown our
Hands in the air lamenting how she laid
It down when it was the last when we
Were counting pennies to take to the
Alter for we had much more than her.
Till we feed the widows and stop
Making the coins sound loud when we put
Them in the offering plate we have not
Started to practice charity for they
Say it begins at home.

Fair enough people of My Congregation
We have stood at the entrance of the
Church and looked at our high heels
And walked in dressed to kill when
The clothes in the closet are so many
It cannot close. Till we share the
Loot we gather after each payment and
Show gratitude for our jobs we are just
Plain good old sinners who still need
More grace from above.