Two Words

Two Words by Robert William Service

 'God' is composed of letters three,
 But if you put an 'l'
Before the last it seems to me
 A synonym for Hell.
For all of envy, greed and hate
 The human heart can hold
Respond unto the devil's bait
 Of Gold.

When God created Gold to be
 For our adorning fit,
I little think he dreamed that we
 Would come to worship it.
But when you ruefully have scanned
 The chronicles of Time,
You'll find that lucre lends a hand
 To Crime.

So if you are a millionaire,
 To be of Heaven sure,
Give every penny you can spare
 Unto the sick and poor.
From Gold strike out the evil 'ell,'
 And so with letters odd
You can with peace of spirit spell
 Just GOD.

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Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace