Look me in the eyes

(a quick study in octosylabic line)

Yesterday,
I chased away a preacher man.
I 'd heard him speak his piece of mind
and it was time for him to go.

He'd cornered three young men and talked
at length about their place with God
and how their church was false and how
their elders should be pressed and pushed,
questioned for the truth denied them.

“Your monks have no idea where
the path of true salvation lies,”
he said with upmost piety.

He then pulled out some pamphlet tracks,
collected in a plastic box,
with tabs and colored pencil marks,
showing him all the answers plain-
passing them on without a glance.

Here is the one on Jesus Christ-
you know his name but not the man.
Here is the one on sinfull lust-
you know the feelings that you have.
Here's the one that is the best-
it shows the blood and guts and gore
you may have seen in Mell's new flick-
he says without a glance,
handing them up to open hands.

I could not take it anymore
and tapped him on the shoulder once-
almost as if to say hello,
but not enough to cause alarm.

“Do you attend here?” I said straight
and looked him in the eyes to see
if what I had seen as pridefull
sin was simply over-zelous talk.

“I'm here now,” he said with a grin
and quickly turned his head
back to his box of colored tabs,
his figures never sitting still.

“Are you a membere here?” I said
to his back in a sterner way.
This time he paused and never looked-
just said his piece, matter-a-fact,

“I attend many churches here
in the city,” and continued
never breaking in his serman
to the boys who were polite.

“I think these guys are busy now,"
I said in a darker tone that
implied that he should leave...
"Their youth leader can, I'm sure'
guide them where they need to go'
without your help or idle talk.”

He never paused, but took his pack
and started to get up.
He turned his heal and left the church
without a single word.

I wonder why he would not stop
to talk to me, but simply hit
the younger ones who would not fight
or do the things he said
like question him and wonder why
he would not look them in the eye?