Hey! Preacherman!
Who do you think you are,
Waving that big black Bible
Like God’s own tommy-gun,
Spraying scripture bullets
All over the congregation,
Piercing them with your judgments?Fool!
Can’t you see they’re already wounded?Show me where Jesus
Got him a big old pulpit and fancy robes,
Shook his fists,
Shouted himself red-faced.Preacherman,
Why don’t you come down
Like Jesus among lepers.
Touch the people
With healing words?Then we’ll pass around the bread and the wine
And celebrate until Kingdom come.
_________________________________
( Written after a week in which Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Israeli forces exchanged missiles.)
Missiles come screaming out of the northern sky
Like demons of fire.
Jets come roaring out of the southern sky
Silver death angels spitting death and destruction on the earth.
Hagar’s children lie
Bodies twisted
Bleeding in Lebanon…
Sarah’s children lie
Bodies battered
Bleeding in Israel…
Abraham weeps.
Abraham weeps for his children.
Abraham weeps for his children
Dying
Twisted, battered, bleeding in the sand.
Abraham weeps and cries out,
“Where are You
Lord God?”
“I have become as a child, Abraham,
Body bruised
Body burnt
Beneath the cedars of Lebanon.
I have become as a child
Body bruised
Body burnt
Beneath the olive trees of Haifa.
I have become as a child,
Charred and lifeless,
Dying in the rubble.
I, the Lord your God, weep for Abraham’s children.
I, the Lord your God, weep.
For Abraham’s children have beaten their ploughshares into swords.”
Fill your bowl one fourth with Hindu ambrosia.
Add a Buddhist nectarine.
Swirl in Sufi dream whip
Add a reasonable humanist apple.
Mix in Christian communion bread and wine.
Eat mindfully.
Hope you find it heart healthy.
Namaste
Free flowing and shaping things in its way
Undeterred by no natural structures, it constantly sways
Not stopping for human contaminants, but continuing to flow with nothing to hide
Some watch it float by, while others embrace it and enjoy the high tide
Life can be serene and life can be tough
If you only float through, it will eventually beat you up
So some choose to stop before the end of the ride
For they’re too weathered by storms in which they’ve been tried
Harsh conditions make it callused on the outside but it still flows underneath
Know sometimes you’ll be turned the cold shoulder, but you must grit your teeth
Learn that there are both the low and high levels
Perpetually moving, despite the devils
If you test life’s waters enough, they could quickly pull you under
For it’s a storm within itself, without the lightning and thunder
If you aren’t prepared for its teachings then it will surely drown you
But be equipped for every task and it’ll ultimately crown you
Control your own fate, for it’s sink or swim
Take time to appreciate, and then think to win
Solve life’s problems; don’t just drown them out no matter how hard it might be
For some problems are sharks living under the water that come back to bite ye
Enjoy it alone at times and others with a friend
Just be sure to realize who’ll be with you in the end
Friends and family fervently there for you
Always currently pushing you through
All in all it’s about finding your best combination
You can shine brightly by yourself and reflect your radiation
Memories are brought back that can never be touched
But only in a tangible sense if you think about it much
Life’s high spots can be addicting and are known to trap you
However, in the low spots, nature’s right there to grab you
Sadly though, at some point water becomes stagnant where it lies
And starts flowing from my eyes as another loved one evaporates into the skies.