To all the souls I tried to “save”
reflecting on my evangelical past
To all the souls I tried to “save”—
I’m sorry. I was brainwashed.
There was nothing wrong with you.
The friend I urged to keep her body
chaste, against temptation, knew
far more of joy and mental health
than I would know for years.
The doubting friends I prayed with,
quoting Scripture through my tears,
had far more sense than I did. Family,
neighbors, strangers, all
somehow were kind to me, despite
my single-minded gall
as I tried like hell to follow
heaven’s orders. I didn’t see
I was making life hellish for others—
and most of all for me.