USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: Sunday Mornings In Sodom

Chidi,

This is my personal kudos - it's a confession that I must make and you
may consider yourself the officiating priest if you want to, for this
is my first confession to you and what I say is true:

I must confess that only Ishmael Reed has hit me this hard, this year.
This year, and that was recently too, with "Juice". I first
encountered your poem "Sunday Mornings In Sodom" here in cyberspace
about four hours ago and since then I've read it five times to my
great satisfaction (shall I say that I have now committed it to memory
- and I'm still laughing? I'm laughing right now.

"Savouring the dreams
Of sins of the night before." -

but how do you know?

Those two lines alone transport me back to John Updike's" A Month of
Sunday" a priest with some conscience and the occasional sense of
remorse. And the other Catholic man tormented by conscience in
Greene's "The Heart of the Matter"

"The houses of God" … indeed everything belongs to Him.

"With gospels of prosperity."

- why do these words direct my attention to the Eastern Nigeria
sections of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship? Chuck-full of
gospel and they sure know how to do business. President Goodluck Ebele
Azikiwe Jonathan recently said "I never promised to reduce poverty. I
promised to create wealth" If he's still interested in keeping his
promise and creating more wealth, he
could still learn a thing or two from them (Full Gospel Business Men's
Fellowship). Poverty is reduced by making the poor rich, by creating
wealth for the poor – although actually spreading that wealth is
another matter..

Today I went to twitter
and found these words by George Ayittey

:Western donors have pumped over $800 billion into Africa since 1960
with little to show for it. And they KNOW the aid money is often
stolen."

But back to the poem:

"sleazebags"

Chidi, there must be some sincere people in those congregations.....

apart from your overarching pessimism?

On the merrier side of life:

" A member of one synagogue said to a member of another synagogue,
"Our wonderful rabbi talks daily with the Almighty!"
"How do you know?" asked the other man.
"He told me!"
He might have been lying."
Nonsense- the Almighty wouldn't talk daily with a liar, would He?"

Still laughing...

http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/corneliushamelberg/





On Nov 19, 4:09 pm, ChidiAnthonyOparaPoetry/Quotes
<chidianthonyoparapoe...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> (Poem By: Chidi Anthony Opara)
>
> The alarm clocks
> On Sunday mornings in Sodom
> Awake
> The depraved of Sodom
> Savouring the dreams
> Of sins of the night before.
> Their mouths,
> Their bodies,
> They rinse of hangovers
> Of the night before.
> Sacred songs
> Sound from hi-fis
> In their profaned chambers.
> The depraved of Sodom
> Hurry
> To mouth cants
> In the enclosures
> They call;
> "The houses of God"
>
> Profaned pulpits
> Buzz
> With gospels of prosperity.
> Mammon is the master,
> The mammoth are the minions,
> Pastors are the profiteers.
>
> The sirens signal
> The arrival of sleazebags.
> On the front pews
> Purchased,
> Their pot bellies protrude.
> Large tainted tithe and offerings
> Protrude from their large pockets.
> Prophets prophesy platitudes,
> The choirs
> Hum hollow hymns.
>
>
>
> Reproductions in part or in whole, in whatever forms, of ChidiAnthonyOparaPoetry/Quotes except for non-profit information and education purposes, without a written permission from the Author is not allowed.

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