Full and open

How can you sing prayerfully of heaven and earth and all God's wonders without using your hands?
~Mahalia Jackson

Happy Poetry Friday! A poem from the Poetry Foundation today. I've been known to praise imperfection now and then, haha.

At Church, I Tell My Mom She’s Singing Off-Key and She Says,
by Michael Frazier

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?

**************

Michael Frazier has a Persona writing prompt that might interest you.

Tangles and Tails has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Tracey!