Fenton Johnson had jumped through
all the ecclesiastical hoops,
did what was necessary to behoove
his anointing to serve those in the pews.
He faithfully served that flock.
But he didn’t evoke
the emotion in the flock,
so the Bishop told
him to give up the flock.
A flim-flam man evoked
all the emotion from the flock,
the church house rocked
and the coffers overflowed
getting the congregation out of hock.
The bishop rejoiced
over the worked-up flock
and all the receipts in stock.
The good Reverend thought
it all an unholy crock.
Was Fenton ever defrocked
or did he just up and quit
muttering
“Such is religion,”?
“And don’t I know it!”
exclaimed the retired minister
with the new vocation
of a fellow, self-published poet.

*idea from (an originally self-published) poem The Minister by Fenton Johnson