Subway Preacher

He got on at 66th Street
And got off at 72nd
Tell us all to go and study
The Bible all day
And pray
For the end of the world was coming to end
And we better get around to getting ready
And as he first uttered
Those loud words
A subtle shutter went through the subway car
As 50 or so people ears suddenly did want to listen
And put up some invisible barrier to his words
Some turned up the volume on their ipods
Others glared at him
Perturbed that their silence was broken
Or their nap interrupted
Others went on with their quiet conversations
But there was no escaping his loud urgent words
And the fact he considered all of us lost sheep
Or Divine children gone astray
That as adults
We weren’t capable of making our own choices
That our lives and loves were all wrong
And there lies my rub
An intolerance of being told what I should do
Or that I am not leading a good life now
Or that by stealing myself away from life
I will preserve my life
These are why I closed my ears to listening to him