A Play by Steven M.
Performance: May, 2002
Hillcrest Juvenile Hall, San Mateo
Characters: Holy Poly the bible and his father, God
Time: 10:23 a.m. on a sunny Sunday morning
Place: In a Baptist church, a new building. Holy Poly the bible is on the pulpit
At Rise: We see Holy on the pulpit, an old man with crusty clothes who smells like alcohol and weed is walking toward Holy, the church is full of people, spirits are soaring around the church lookin’ for demons, depressed spirits calling out to God “ Oh Lord watch over me.” The Preacher is speakin’, we hear gospel music and clappin’. The old man reaches out to touch Holy, and God sends the spirits down, they surround Holy so the man can’t touch him. The man backs away. The people and the man and time all freeze.
| Holy: |
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Please, please, let this man touch me because I really want to change this man’s life!
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| God: |
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Do you really want to take the responsibilities of this job? ‘Cause then you will make hot and rainy days, you will make people grow, you will make sure that churches ain’t got no demons inside them, and you will make sure people will go to heaven. I’m getting’ tired and old fightin’ demons.
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| Holy: |
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Well, if I take this responsibility, will you let me help this man? So he can take the escalator up to heaven. |
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| God: |
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Son, I love you but I feel this man got demons inside him. I know it’s hard not to help a man- but this man just goin’ to go back to his same regular life. I don’t like to be played, this is very serious. It’s no good when you help someone and they go back to their same life.
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| Holy: |
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Father, I believe what you said but there’s always a second chance to save someone’s life and this right here is what I’ve been waiting for my whole life.
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| God: |
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Well, son let me tell you something. When you go to heaven there are no games-there are spirits up there that don’t like people who lies about changin’ their lives. |
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| Holy: |
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Father, if you really loved me you would understand and give me a chance to prove you wrong. And I’ll show you that I’ll be ready to take over your work. |
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| God: |
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Son, I know your tryin’ to trick me with your words and I can see that your really tryin’ to save this man’s life, but tell me this-how you gonna change this man’s life if you don’t even know him. You just saw him out of the blue and that doesn’t mean that he’s gonna change his life straight like that. He could spread around the demon spirit to people that might really want to change- and then your gonna feel depressed and angry!
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| Holy: |
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Father! I don’t wanna argue, I don’t wanna yell and all that stuff…but I will be totally mad if my dream came and I didn’t get to complete it. I would be so angry I would not want to do your job, I would never want to do nothin’ for you again! |
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| God: |
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Son, you just need to chill. There are others- other people-who really need their lives changed and I don’t feel this man is ready for his spirit to go to Heaven. Son, I apologize for all I put you through, but we never really sat down like this and talked so I’m gonna tell you the reason why I really wanted you to do this job: because you always looked up to me and even though I was pushin’ you hard, but you always learned and you always taught yourself by yourself about things about life. And I never really had no problems with you and I see that you’re strong for anything that happens to you. And I can see it in you because I had it in me when I was young, just like you-strength, knowledge and thoughts about fixin’ things, makin’ things right. I put my faith in a man once, and he hurt me- because he gave up on his life. By drinking, smoking and robbing people. |
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| Holy: |
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Father, if we just let this man on the list , we could give him a couple weeks and then see where his life’s at. Can we put him on the list for the escalator? Let this man live a little before his life ends. |
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| God: |
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Son, I’m afraid of him coming up to heaven as a spy for the devil. The devil will find out our secrets, find out our codes and he will make all the spirits be slaves. You are young enough to fight the demons and I’m old and I don’t need to fight no more. |
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| Holy: |
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I use my words to fight the demons. I can help so you can spread it around and make more people come to the church so they can get their lives straight. My message is to change people’s lives by giving them a great feeling of hope that makes them want to stay alive and be free. If we don’t save this man, he can die, he could do drugs, he could rob people- and the devil makes him do things like that. That destroys other people by bringing the demons around them. If we don’t give this man hope the devil will win! And prove us wrong. People will start to listen to him and the demons will rule the world. |
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| God: |
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I don’t want to hear it! I think it’s not true. (God gets nervous and makes rain, thunder, lightening and storms) I can’t do it! I can’t help this man. Only he can help himself, and in the bible it says “never put trust in man!” |
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| Holy: |
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This makes me kinda depressed- because when someone’s tryin’ to change you should be there for them. Never judge them- how they look- and always open the door for them when they’re sick, when they’re tired and they need help. And right now you’re not showing that to me, father. And the demons are moving faster and faster- while you’re waiting and thinkin! ‘Cause this man is really calling for us-I been waitin’ for this my whole life- for a job like this. So open up your heart and give this man a chance to walk up the escalator to heaven.
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| God: |
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I’ll give this man hope. But- I’m retiring. It’s up to you now, to make the rain fall, to make the clouds move around, and to watch over all men. Good luck, I hope nothin’ go wrong and I hope that you get your dream of changing a man’s life.
(God disappears and time starts again. The old man reaches out and touches Holy the bible.) |
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| Holy: |
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Hi! I’m Holy and I have hope for you! If you just listen to me I’ll tell you what to do to live a good life in heaven! I been through a lot to be able to be here for you. (in his head, thinking about his father as the good spirits and the demons start fighting over the old man’s soul) I wish it could be different, I wish my father could be here to see me help this man- so he could see that man is very good. I’m sad because my dad, God, disappeared. I needed him to tell me a little bit more about the demons. I need him for courage, spirit , and joy. I shoulda took it easy on my father. Every night I will still remember about my father, about what a good God my father was. (The old man gets shot with a demon arrow and the escalator comes down, his soul goes up the escalator to heaven.) |
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The End. |
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