Nebraska Howls

A poem inspired by E.J. Byington,
Sister Lost and Found
Nebraska Howls: A True Story by Michael R. Gorman

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Behold, did the high holy day of Easter Come in heat upon Sacramento,
And then did the Saved, Go forth in joy unto the temple to worship,
Unto the temple which is called Capital Christian Center.

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And even so did the unclean ones, Yea the excluded ones,
Stand on the sidewalk of the public street And wail and shout
Unto the closed doors of the temple.

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Verily did they carry placards And did march
And did declare their exclusion unholy
In the eyes of god.

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And behold! The boy E.J. At fourteen years
Did come from out the choir Of the Capital Christian Center
Unto the sidewalk on Easter, And there he spake
Unto the gay and lesbian protesters Unto the bisexual and transgender protesters
Gathered there on the sun heated sidewalk Of the public street, Yea gathered there
With the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

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From the City on the Hill Which is called San Francisco.
For lo! They did hear the cries Of the outcast ones
From the Great Valley.

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And E.J. did question them. And yea, after the time of questioning,
Did he turn a disdainful eye Upon the love-hypocrisy of his church
And did denounce its hatred Of its gay and lesbian children.
This he did declare Unto the electronic ears and eyes
Of Channel 10,
And unto Channel 13,
And unto Channel 3,
And unto Channel 40,
And therefore surely
Unto the whole kingdom of Sacramento.

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And behold! The temple security did fall upon
E.J. to silence him, But then did the butch dyke
Stand before them Causing fear and trembling,
And they did remove themselves away.
And after a time of communion on the street
Did E.J. return unto the church. And then did the high priest, 

the Pastor of Coal, berate E.J.
And did E.J. hold firm In his revelation.
So they did send him home to the house
Of his aunt and guardian.

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And then did his cousin beat him.
And then did his aunt throw him unto the streets.
And then did the church and its Pastor of Coal
Refuse to take him in,

Yea, verily leaving him abandoned unto the streets
At fourteen Yet had one protester in truth
Known the heart of the Capital Christian Center
In matters of protest, And therefore had he given E.J.
A name upon which to call Should he be cast out.

And then did E.J. call upon the protester
Who did take him in from the street
And did find him A foster home
Hearing of this, legal guardian,
The State of Nebraska, Which surely had taken him from the lap
Of his mother who did drink to excess And would not care for E.J.,
Yea, even Nebraska Did protest the fostering family.
Yea the mother, the father, the son, and the daughter
alike Did they condemn,

For the foster family did allow E.J. his gay friends.

Verily in love did they allow it. And then did E.J. declare himself to be gay, 

surely also. And then did Nebraska order him back From the land which is called California,
Unto the Kingdom of Nebraska.

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And then did his social worker A temple maiden in the Kingdom of Nebraska
Place him in a military family, Yea even in Nebraska,
Which did ridicule his gentle ways And did ridicule his gentle voice.
And thought E.J. to run away. And surely did he run away.
And so did the Centurions of Nebraska find him And bring him back.
And so did the social worker place him in a group home
And there did the sons of Nebraska beat his "faggot ass."

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And lo did he run away Yea verily, yet again.
And then did the social worker lure him back
With promise of safety and care.

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Upon his return did she yet again
Place him in the group home.
And did they beat him yet again, verily.
Sorely did they beat his "faggot ass "
And therefore did he run away again.
to a neighboring kingdom ran he away.

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Then also did his grandmother, the other alcoholic,
Take him unto her bosom Verily did she take him in.
In the kingdom of Minneapolis Did she take him in.
Whereupon Nebraska did give its blessing.

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But lo! In the seeming safety of the bosom of the family
E.J. did love another boy In tender regard did he love him
In sweetness loved he him. As King David loved Jonathan
Did he love him.

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Therefore did the wrath of his grandmother burn,
Verily along with the wrath of her lover Jack Daniels
Who did both together beat him sorely And cast him unto the streets

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At fifteen Whereupon E.J. disappeared for scores of days
Surely in silence did he disappear. And hark ye!
In the fullness of time In Spring Did young E.J. telephone the California gay protester
Verily from the corner Upon which he did work. And he did tell the protester
What had come to pass in the days of silence: How he had been raped and beaten
And left for dead in an ally, 

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Yea, in the shadow of his grandmother's house,
Even in Minneapolis, How a man had picked him up.
How a man had doctored his wounds And made him beautiful yet again.
And then did E.J. declare the man Boyfriend
And the California protester did ask Of E.J, Verily was the man boyfriend
Or pimp, And did E.J. whisper, 'Sort of both."

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Then asked the protester of E.J. Would the boy desire release
From his indentured servitude, And did E J respond, in soothe, "Yes!
But surely it cannot be so For then would I face the wrath
Of my boyfriend." For, told he the protester, The boyfriend's friends
Did lavish the boyfriend with jewels And fine habiliments
And a winged chariot For the company of E.J., For his honey was sweet to them.

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Whereupon the protester Did call the photographer
Who spake unto his lover the diver, They, both of them, having hailed
From the Kingdom of Minneapolis. And did his lover the diver
Telephone the Minneapolis woman, She of the civil protest,
Who did snatch E.J. from the corner, Yea verily where it was told
He should be At an hour appointed, As it was so arranged.
And therefore also did the protester Call upon the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
In the City of Hills Which is called San Francisco Who did purchase a ticket to fly,
One-way,

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From out the kingdom of Minneapolis Unto the City of Hills
Which is called San Francisco, Where surely Gordon, the good Cardinal of the Sisters,
Did open his door unto E.J. With love in his heart Did he open his door.
Then did E.J. enter his door. And then did the gay community rejoice
In welcome, For E.J had been lost, But now was found,
And verily also scores of them Did share his great pain,
And therefore his victory.

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And then did Nebraska protest In great wrath
And then did Gordon, And the protester,
And the Sisters, And the photographer
And his lover the diver, And the woman,
And verily everyone, Suffer a scourge of amnesia
Like unto the fog of the bay, And thereby could not tell Nebraska
Where E J. did live.

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And then did the school embrace E.J.
And then did the support group embrace E.J.
And then did the counselors embrace E.J.
And then did scores of friends embrace E.J.
And then did E.J. call Gordon "Dad."
And then was E.J. young and gay
On the hills of the city
Which is called San Francisco.

And lo, for twelve months and six
Was there great rejoicing beside the bay,
On the hills Of the City which is called San Francisco.

But lo! How Nebraska did howl!
And the king of Nebraska with great gnashing of teeth,
Did send his servants To seek out young E.J.
And so did the servants Offer heaven's special blessing
Unto the sister of E.J. In the city of Saint Joseph
To betray his whereabouts.

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Yea, verily, in great deceit did they offer it.
Whereupon did she speak As the King of Nebraska commanded,
For the false love of her god And theirs.
In haste the servants Did snatch young E.J.
From out the bosom of his new home.
Verily did they.
And they returned him by force
Unto the Kingdom of Nebraska.
And then was the social worker become clever.
For lo, did she place E.J. with foster fathers!
Yea even gay foster fathers!
Yea loving partners,
Even in Nebraska.
And then did E.J. see again
The sweet light of hope.
Then did he write in joy to Gordon And to the California
protester.

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But lo!
A great evil came upon the hearts The Ruling Council of Nebraska.
And so also did they and the king Rise in wrath against all gay parents and their
children, And did declare it unlawful
That such should be families. The king and the Ruling Council
Did forbid gay foster parents, Henceforth and forever,
And did order the children of such Snatched from out their homes
And returned to the place of orphans,

Leaving not one man, woman, or child untouched.
And did the king and his servants Appoint the day
To tear the children From out their homes
And lo, Nebraska did rejoice In its great victory.

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And lo, did E.J.'s school mates taunt By the authority of the king
And the Ruling Council. And lo did E.J. then conform,
Verily, in word and deed And in his raiment.
And lo the foster home was two months old,
When near unto the appointed Day of the Tearing of the Children,

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Upon an afternoon In the year of Nebraska's Lord,
One Thousand Nine Hundred and Ninety-Five,
On the Twenty-Fourth Day Of the young month of January,
Did E.J 's foster father come home, From work came he home,

And there did find E.J. Suspended from the rafters,
Even the rafters of the garage, Yeah, verily, by the neck,
Through the looped end Of a rope At seventeen.

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Amen ! Hallelujah !