By Megan Benninger
Freed
From the creed
I believed
I’m relieved!
Once devout
Now kicked out
Full of doubt
I’m calling out
The ploys
Of your good old boys
I’m making noise
With my big fat voice
Rejoice
When they hate you
Reject and
Berate you
It’s shit
I admit
I won’t submit
I’m “not a good fit”
But I still won’t quit
This handmaiden
Now forsaken
Has awakened
And my classification’s
Now “tool of Satan”
Swell!
Toll the knell
I’ll cast a spell
Be your Jezebel
Take my farewell
Go straight to hell
Making waves
On my way
Rocking boats
To see what floats
Making rescues
Of your refuse
All your outcast scapegoats
All those souls
Who didn’t meet your goals
Didn’t fill the obligations
For your God’s salvation.
We’ll be friends
Till the end
Even then
We will burn eternal
In your hell infernal
Sharing the love
You denied
To our kind
Nevermind
We will stand
Hand in hand
Banned
From your precious Promised land
Filled with men who offend
Seventy times seven
Yet are welcomed to your heaven
Because they are forgiven
Fine with me
I’ll be here
With the queers
Shedding tears
In Hades
With all your ladies
And babies
And boys
The victims you used as toys
Who can no longer believe
And so cannot receive
The reprieve
You achieved
And though innocent of blame
They carry all of the shame
And suffer the flame
You escaped
By God’s great grace
I. Choose. Them.
Megan Benninger is a cult survivor, whistleblower, church abuse advocate and published poet. She and her husband are founders of baptistaccountability.org, a database of abusers and enablers in Baptist organizations. She lives in South Central Pennsylvania with her husband and five children. Follow her work at churchtrauma.com or on Facebook @BaptistAccountability, and Instagram @baptistaccountability.
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