What Bobby McGee Taught Me | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: What Bobby McGee Taught Me | Previous Challenge Entry
By Lynda Lee Schab
05/24/06
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There once was a boy
named Bobby McGee,
the happiest kid
you ever did see.

No matter how bleek
or hopeless it seemed,
he did only one thing –
Bobby just beamed.

His face always sported
a lopsided grin
that touched his ears
and swallowed his chin.

From the time he was little
he smiled and giggled
at bugs and cute girls
and the way jello jiggled.

I had never seen Bobby
depressed, sad, or down.
Nothing could happen
to cause him to frown!

You ask, “what’s the problem?”
Being happy is great!”
Well, not when your church
thinks your face should be straight.

Church wasn’t the place
for laughter and fun.
You should sit and be quiet
til the preacher was done.

But who do you think
just didn’t agree?
You guessed it!
It was happy, Bobby McGee.

“Mr. Joe,” he asked me,
with a smile on his face,
“isn’t church s’posed to be
the happiest place?

Haven't you noticed
even during praise songs,
that faces are puckered
and expressions are long?

It could be the lemon drops
they put in their mouth
that make them so sober,
cause their mouth’s to turn south.

The Bible says joy
should be in our hearts.
But I never see gladness –
just a church full of tarts.

I have an idea
for the tense and uptight,
and if you’ll allow,
I’ll show you next Sunday night.”

I agreed to his plan,
though I still don’t know why,
but the things he had said,
I just couldn’t deny.

So the next Sunday night
I observed every pew
and realized again
what Bobby said was so true.

The people sat rigid,
with straight, solemn faces,
like the pairs of their shoes
had too-tightly-tied laces.

Smiles and gladness
were nowhere to be seen.
They were buried beneath
a religious, cool sheen.

Then suddenly,
Bobby McGee bounded in
wearing a bright yellow outfit
and a big, silly grin.

He hopped like a bunny
all the way down the aisle
and my mouth automatically
broke into a smile.

When I noticed the lemons
on his loud, gawdy suit,
I let out a holler
and I let out a hoot.

He made his way forward
doing the chicken dance
and I have to admit
I about peed my pants!

But faces no longer
were puckered up tight.
People actually laughed –
they were doing church right!

When tears of laughter
had been wiped dry,
Bobby McGee
let out a loud sigh.

“Now that is the way
joy should be expressed.
It is surely not meant
to be bound or suppressed.

The God that we serve
should be praised and worshipped!
How can we do that
while we sit here, tight-lipped?

Joy should be pouring
from our lips and our faces,
at home and for sure
in church, of all places!”

And at that very moment
I felt so inclined
to step down from the pulpit –
that day, I resigned.

I turned the reigns over
To Bobby McGee
The happiest man
You ever will see.

And displayed on the pulpit,
Bobby's bright suit remains
to encourage the joy
that now runs through our veins.

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