Revival Comes to Knoxville, 1970

Revival Comes to Knoxville, 1970 This poem is dedicated to Jack Higgs, who writes about this moment in God in the Stadium: "Symbols of the Union of Caesar and Christ," and to two hippies whoformed another, better union at a rally on behalfof the Knoxville 22 who appear in line 8. You know who you are. On a warm evening, the city is the New Jerusalem With yard lines of gold and Neyland Stadium filled, Thousands washed and unwashed waiting for a miracle. "There is a fountain filled with blood," the choir intones Into the evening air, the sky a sailor's delight in red and gold As the president himself 'copters in to worship and adore The lamb who was slain for him. If there is blood on his hands, Here it will be washed away. Protestors lift their placards Begging swords be beaten into plowshares, spears into pruninghooks, And secret service men look alert lest the boos of the crowd Lead to a less charitable turning of the other cheek. The president waves and takes his seat among the washed And lets the unwashed render unto Caesar that which is his. We are God's sinful children gathered at the evangelist's knee, The mightiest of the land and the meekest, and he suffers us To come, pours out on us his text: "Sell all you have." The words echo with the fervor of a football announcer's call, Sell - sell - sell - all - all -all. Over-dressed women clutch their minks And men pat keys to luxury cars and luxury houses, assuring Themselves the evangelist will not rapture away their wealth. The poor who are always with us are filled with hope and joy, For they know the rest: "And give it to the poor." The stadium echoes Give it - Give it -Give it to the poor. Tonight the poor who walked will ride, and they with no coat Shall have furs. Knoxville will host the sale of the century. The widow shall have no reason to regret her mite. Hallelujahs will resound across the Holston's banks, The crimson tide be rolled away, and all cross safe to Beulah Land. But it is not to be. "Just be ready," the evangelist says, "to sell." It is easy to be hearers of the Word and not doers at all. Everyone is ready. "The readiness is all," he might have said, Had not Hamlet said it first, thinking on the fall of sparrows. (No preacher ever quotes a better preacher than he.) 70 The president leaves as wealthy a sparrow as he came, tycoons Leave wealthier than they came, the widows leave as poor. In a sound as of a rushing mighty wind a helicopter lifts The president above placards praying him to practice war no more. His evangelist waves a parting benediction, having rendered Unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God very little at all. —Parks Lanier 71 ...