A Different Tune

Everybody is singing a different tune Everybody is dancing to a different beat Everybody is praying to a different God And here I am feeling very sad I am here, you are there but I have no fear The politicians are moving around The police men are walking up and down And the vampires are hopping from town to town Motor cycle racing up and down the street Rumbling sounds penetrating the sidewalks And the thumping sound of music Meddling in the crowded street Taxi and private cars pack up in the gas station And pedestrians walking and murmuring Selfish soldiers moving from side to side Twenty-five of them crammed in a little jeep Clad in camouflaged uniform, I wonder how they bear the heat. While the villagers in town shouting hallelujah in their blood stained gown. A barrage of bullets scattering in the air gathered people far and near, people scrabbling over one another, some pushing and shoving, dragging and pulling the fallen to clear the busy street. “Look! Aunt Dotty look!”, a screeching emerged quietly from the shadows. They are shouting and running across the border and everything is getting out of order. The bullets are still firing, “get out of the way before you get hit.” The old man fell into a terrible fits. “Run! Miss Mary run! you have the biggest gun” A voice shout from across the border “Run ! Miss Mary run! You can put things in order” the voice gets louder and louder. I heard another screaming from around the corner “What have you done to my father?” Two little children running with their shoes in their hand Shouting, “mother! mother! Mother!” But their mother was nowhere in sight And morning made a silent cry just before daylight Day break with ease and I continued my daily routine. I walked down the road feeling proud of myself for the things that I have done and the victory that I have won. For the first time in almost two years I have felt a real need for fellowship because I have not been into a church for a long time The places that I have been within this period made it illegal to worship. Since I came into this town I have been going about but I still could not find the church that I was looking for Just the other day the spirit led me astray And I behold the church that was hiding in the corner I went into the Church this morning and the moderator entered in white gown with a colored robe hanging down And the procession began with a shout “What’s going on?” I cleared my throat and murmur deep within This is far from what the Methodist worship style is like. I wanted to hear some traditional hymns but the screaming woman Started to sing. The choir was out of order and thanks to solo singer who brought back the melody in the song. I have never been to a Methodist church before that entertains this type of worship so I asked the man sitting beside me if this was the Methodist way of worship, and he said that’s how they worship in Linstead town. I did not want them to feel embarrass so I stuck it out for two long hours and I even miss the lords supper. The scriptures were carefully chosen, they were encouraging and the message was quite appealing. Only if she had not done so much shouting in the beginning, the service would have been more entertaining and interesting. Something strange happen for a brief moment. While the service was in session, a man came up and the microphone fell and it could not be used anymore. The moderator almost lost her beautiful voice, just before the final prayer .This was a warning sign that she was out of line. I was hoping to stay towards the end, but the service was too long and it felt like a competition. When things got unbearable, and I could not stand it any longer I called it a day and quietly sneaked out. It is not my ideal type of worship but I appreciated it and could tolerate it. I walked across the narrow path outside the church and when I got there I saw a woman and a man sitting on the corner drinking beer The old chapter is over and a new chapter has just begun. I went home but when I got there, I met another shouting sermon that was louder than the one on the other side of town. I could make much sense of this one so I put my chair under the guava tree next to the big gate and allow the shouting to pass through my ear until it filters into thin air.