Street Preacher on Leigh Street

Inside city jails, inside city hall
Make wages at the bus line
Haul on to the Silver Coach for lunch.
Taste the honey suckle scent
  As it drifts through the humid afternoons.

MLK Jr. watches
From a large poster on the living room wall.
Packing books now; a new approach and call
For a family man of four
Whose wife is seriously a clown;
   A professional clown.

Ease the nerves, humor the tired eyes,
Give to children a joyful surprise
Make some funny sense out of Richmond
Clown face to deflect the social lies.

The street preacher studies in Virginia Union halls
His heart firm with God and his mind justly wise
In a city split by segregated walls
His voice a fiery call for the just to arise.

Street preacher’s firm face a godly fire for Truth.
Sweet teacher’s Clown face a godsend in smiles.

                                                C. S. Cholas
                                                May 13, 1974, Richmond, Virginia
                                                Remembering Rev. Linwood and Mary Corbett

 Rev. Linwood "Bishop Benjamin Israel" Corbett Sr.