by Steven Willis
Transcript of “John 3:16 Makes an Appearance”
by Steven Willis
as bumper sticker on your neighbor’s mini van,
as bookmark from the local Christian bookstore,
etched on the side of a pencil.
Then again.
As decor
draped across your grandmother’s shower curtain,
floor mat, or tombstone.
Then again. Given
as a gift to you from your mother,
as wall art for your dorm room or office,
on the side of the tote bag the cute girl takes to Trader Joes. The words appear
as the only thing not chipped on your father’s
oldest coffee mug—
still there, but fading
on your coworker’s water bottle.
Then again. Everlasting
as the first scripture you learned as a child,
as the only verse you can still recite from memory
pressed on
a t-shirt you got at a youth revival in your teens
worn to the gym.
Then again. Begotten
in the rare moments of prayer
during the hardest times
as the only sign
you still believe.
Bio: 27-year-old Steven Antoine Willis uses poetry and theater to embark on the daunting task of articulating African American culture. Willis is a contributing writer to the Breakbeat Poets Anthology, NYU’s National Council for Teachers of English Journal, and is a 3-time individual World Poetry Slam finalist. Willis is currently an MFA acting candidate at the University of Iowa.