A Kids Eye View

A KIDS EYE VIEW “Was written in the ‘50’s after attending a “Hell Fire and Damnation” minister’s speech. Then remembering how free we were as children from the fear instilled by “End of the World Prophets ‘and harbingers of Hell.

After publication of “ A KIDS EYE VIEW I received letters from people in several different states accusing me of.: turning young people against the church. Thus the birth of the next poem ‘SORRY ABOUT THAT

A KIDS EYE VIEW

I’m just a simple country kid
And I don’t know nothen much
But I always sorta wondered
Bout the birds an bees and stuff
And I noticed there’s a difference
In the way all critters be
And I thot it awful shameful
That they’re not as gay as me.

And why it is I laugh and sing
Or love, or hate, or cry
And cows just don’t do anything
But chew their cud & sigh
But it really didn’t matter
Guess they’re just as glad to be
The horse & cow & pigs & things
As I was to be me.

Then someone came & told my Pa
Bout Sunday School & me
And how I’d learn the answers
And be saved eternalee
Now I was pretty glad for that
I thot I’d learn a bunch
Of things I always wondered
But I’d only had a hunch.

So I went to church on Sunday
And I set down in a pew
Then the Preacher started yelling
And Boy! I’m telling You
He jumped around and hollered
And described a place called hell
Where fire burnin forever
Scorching all the Souls what fell!

I sneaked a look around the house
To see if I could find
Somebody lookin like they fell
But they did’nt seem to mind
They looked so calm and peaceful
That I thot—Oh golly gee
If He ain’t hollerin at them
He must be mad at Me.

I slithered down beneath the seat
An I crawled out toward the door
Scared & sweatin——but I made it
And I ain’t goin back no more
Way He hates that clumsy angel
Put him right in hell — he say
As many times as I fell
He'd of chased me all the way!

And I never found out nothen
Bout the things I went to learn
And that other Father scares me
What lets his children burn
Can’t figger out a feller
Whos kids is all corrupt
I’m stayin home with My Pa
When I fall——He helps me up!

Bonnie White Bleak