Jimmy The Geek (An Observation About Jimmy Swaggart) Poem by Joe Rosochacki

How you cried, how your lip did quiver, it looked as though you sat on a sliver.
You quoted biblical passages for a long, long time, ,
Made an empire from the words of God,
Loved by millions, they would kiss the ground where you trod.
Your acting was superb on the twenty-first of second month,
In Anno Domini nineteen hundred eighty-eight,
Your confession should’ve been sooner, surely not as late,
You confessed because you had to, like an animal in a corner,
Nowhere to escape or to turn to, so you had to finally admit you did wrong.
When there was no alternative, to the community that to you once belonged.
Think of it Jimmy, you were a hypocrite plain to see,
Of the sort Christ condemned, you remember the Pharisee.
Your wife had given her support with a nod of her head,
(while the camera was professionally cued upon her)
Your son boldly whimpered, I think rather lip-synced,
As if it were his heart that was pierced and bled,
“I love you” times four, really, who could ask for more.
(while the camera was professionally cued upon him) .
It is amazing that you did not once point your finger into the lens,
Like I viewed you the night before,
You did not point to anything, maybe to yourself but no one more.
The people wept, wept, wailed and dried as if they were at a wake,
Their credos cannot be denied, cannot be destroyed for God’s sake.
For if they admitted that they believed in you,
As you stood there before them untrue,
It would crumble the foundation of their belief,
No more in you, could they seek Christ-like relief,
So instead of rightful condemnation,
As you expressed before,
They gave you a standing ovation.
Jimmy you deserve an Oscar, Emmy, or a Tony, maybe all of them,
Many people thought you were serious not phony,
But Jimmy, God and you know when you are judgment bound,
Like how judged Jim and Tammy,
What goes around comes around.

(3-1988)