Poem-A-Day: Little White Church by Marilyn Nelson

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Little White Church by Marilyn Nelson                  Eaton, NH, 1879 Us Free Will Baptists walked a thin tightwire, a springing path out over the abyss. We knew how a sudden April desire to dance can topple you head over heels into the fire. We knew how warmth exuded by a youth singing at prayer meeting in a nearby seat and inhaled deeply can inebriate you to the point of renouncing the truth. We lived repent-now-before-it's-too-late. We didn't believe God forgives you, once and for all. We knew how you can just turn around and fall, of your own free will, how easy it is to doubt. But there's no Free Willers left around this place since the Phelps boy come back from Harvard talking     about Grace. Copyright © 2013 by Marilyn Nelson. Used with permission of the author. Poetry by Nelson Faster Than Light: New and Selected Poems, 1996-2011 January 22, 2013 Marilyn Nelson is a newly elected Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. She is the author of numerous collections of poetry, including Faster Than Light (Louisiana State University Press, 2012). Related Poems Churchgoing by Marilyn Nelson Grace II by Charles Wright Listen, Lord: A Prayer by James Weldon Johnson Poem-A-Day started as a National Poetry Month program in 2006, delivering daily poems from newly-published poetry titles.   Due to popular demand, Poem-A-Day became a year-round program in 2010, featuring original, never-before-published poems by contemporary poets on weekdays, and classic poems on weekends.   Browse the Poem-A-Day archive for selections since 2010.  Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem In Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.

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