Church Street

John K. · Post by **John K.** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 1:01 am

They closed the church on Church Street
The pastor moved away
He tried to draw the faithful
But had nothing left to say
The couple that planned to marry
Went to the church down the highway
They closed the church on Church Street
There was no one left to pray

The mayor called a meeting
And he invited all the guests
The congressman and senator
The banker and the press
They all sent members of their staff
Who nodded at each request
They appointed a commission
And then they smiled and pressed the flesh

But Sunday morning comes and goes without a single prayer
In my town, does God even know that we are there?

They closed the church on Church Street
After the factory went down
No dollars for collections
No bride to wear her gown
First they shuttered all the workers
And then they shuttered this whole town
They closed the church on Church Street
And the wind’s the only sound

linda_lakeside · Post by **linda_lakeside** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 1:51 am

I like ... very much! Now, I feel as though I have to go through the usual misery of explaining (or, rather, trying to explain why). So, we'll skip that part, as I'm not good at it. Suffice to say, I like this for a number of reasons. And they're all good.

Linda.

John K. · Post by **John K.** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 5:28 am

Thank you Linda...and I disagree with the notion that one must justify all of their opinions, so feel free to leave your nice comments as they are.

John

mickey_one · Post by **mickey_one** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 8:15 pm

John K. wrote:Thank you Linda...and I disagree with the notion that one must justify all of their opinions, so feel free to leave your nice comments as they are.

John

I'm curious whether this is a reference to my ignored post to Linda where I suggested precisely the opposite. I would like to hear an opinion without excuse or justification and, particularly, without a disclaimer attached!

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 8:46 pm

Me, too, Mickey

. I immediately wondered if Linda had somehow missed your post, or simply chose to ignore it

.

I like this, John. [See how simple it is, Linda

?] I would like to hear it, as well.

linda_lakeside · Post by **linda_lakeside** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:01 pm

I have to confess that I don't know what post you're talking about. So, if someone could kindly direct me to said post, I'll either coment nicely or ignore it or comment like the bitch I truly am.

Regards,
Linda

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:05 pm

Linda ~

It's the one directed to you ~ look for your name in a thread title

. Once there, you'll have found it

. [Just in case ~ "Message for Linda Lakeside."

]

~ Lizzy

linda_lakeside · Post by **linda_lakeside** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:12 pm

You're kidding? Message to Linda in a thread title? I go look right pronto.

John K. · Post by **John K.** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 10:03 pm

mickey_one wrote:
John K. wrote:Thank you Linda...and I disagree with the notion that one must justify all of their opinions, so feel free to leave your nice comments as they are.

John
I'm curious whether this is a reference to my ignored post to Linda where I suggested precisely the opposite. I would like to hear an opinion without excuse or justification and, particularly, without a disclaimer attached!

Slow down there cowboy....it was merely my opinion on Linda's expressed feelings.

John K. · Post by **John K.** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 10:06 pm

lizzytysh wrote:
I like this, John. I would like to hear it, as well.

Thanks Lizzy! And perhaps someday you will hear it.

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 10:06 pm

Dear John ~

His thread and comment were responses to an ongoing frustration ~ not really directly related to your own poem or comment; but the timing just made it seem so.

~ Elizabeth

linda_lakeside · Post by **linda_lakeside** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 6:13 pm

Lizzy,

I'm not so sure that Mickey's thread and comment have anything to do with an 'ongoing frustration'. He could have simply told me what he thought. The fact that he put it in a thread, is really just overkill. Esp. with additional supporting reference re: The Hallmark Lady.

Besides which, I don't see how i reply to a post would be of concern to anyone other than the person I'm replying to. I'm more interested in removing emoticons, with the exception of this one

Linda.

linda_lakeside · Post by **linda_lakeside** » Fri Aug 19, 2005 1:51 am

John,

I've been systematically going thru as many posts as I can (which I haven't done in quite a while), and when I came to this one, I felt the need to tell how sorry I am that your poem got 'buried' beneath the rubble of an issue that has/had nothing to do with you whatsoever. It's still a nice poem, I wish I could remove all the posts that don't contain comment on your work.

Linda.

Maybe you could post it again, so that others can comment on the poem.

John K. · Post by **John K.** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 4:19 pm

linda_lakeside wrote:John,

I've been systematically going thru as many posts as I can (which I haven't done in quite a while), and when I came to this one, I felt the need to tell how sorry I am that your poem got 'buried' beneath the rubble of an issue that has/had nothing to do with you whatsoever. It's still a nice poem, I wish I could remove all the posts that don't contain comment on your work.

Linda.

Maybe you could post it again, so that others can comment on the poem.

Thank you for your kind words Linda. No need to feel sorry, I enjoy when posts in this forum go in all different directions, it makes it all more fun.

I felt that I received more than enough attention on this post, LOL.

I also posted it at the "Just Plain Folks" songwriting forum where people specifically comment on and make suggestions for works in process. I'd never done that before as I didn't think I had anything of the level I read there, and the responses were encouraging. A couple of nice comments, as well as good suggestions which I'm still working on for a "Church Street version 2", came from published songwriters who took the time to critique my work in detail. Very flattering. I also emailed the lyrics to one of my favorite songwriters, Jack Logan, who I correspond with infrequently, and he described them as "cool". I'm still smiling over that one, ha ha!

John K.

Critic2 · Post by **Critic2** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 4:39 pm

linda_lakeside wrote:Lizzy,

I'm not so sure that Mickey's thread and comment have anything to do with an 'ongoing frustration'. He could have simply told me what he thought. The fact that he put it in a thread, is really just overkill. Esp. with additional supporting reference re: The Hallmark Lady.

Besides which, I don't see how i reply to a post would be of concern to anyone other than the person I'm replying to. I'm more interested in removing emoticons, with the exception of this one

Linda.

LL I feel it was fine to try and persuade you that your comments are valued however little "educated" "experienced" or "analytical" you consider them to be. I found your regular discounting of your own comments to be irritating and I want you to value your own contributions to this Forum more.

Since my recent return, unlike you, I have not being going though old threads but I have been going though old friends, like Geoffers! Much more fun!