My First and Only Exorcism
Many years ago when I was a fledgling pastor
Spending time with friends was enjoyable
It was a small church with not much to do.
The local service station was a gathering spot
And while there, a policeman came in,
Said he needed a “minister” to come with him.
I said I would go, but I had no idea
About what I was going to encounter--
A mentally ill woman was being transported,
She had kicked the driver in the head and escaped.
When we arrived, we found her lying in a ditch,
Disheveled, dirty, angry, and hissing expletives.
At that moment, I began to believe in demons!
The policeman said he needed me to do an exorcism.
Well, I had no idea how to do that!
But I did have an idea I thought might work.
I did not tell the woman who I was,
But she knew immediately that I was a minister,
And she began screaming the foulest things at me.
Slowly, I approached her.
I recited The Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23—
Over and over until she began to calm down.
When she was restrained, the policeman thanked me,
And returned me to the service station,
Where everyone wanted to hear the story.
So, I told them about the most broken human being
I had ever seen in my entire lifetime
And, that is still true today.
written June 26, 2021
[a brief narrative of a true story]
for "A Broken Person" poetry contest
sponsored by Faraz Ajmal
SILVER WINNER
"The Oddest Thing I Have Ever Seen" Contest
All Poetry, August 4, 2021
Copyright © L Milton Hankins | Year Posted 2021
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