Let Us Honor All Obnoxious Fools

Let us honor where possible all of earth's fools Who remind us that others view us the same way, Who might also be brothers, if not on this day Or the conflict this moment, prove friend in some way! Where's the profit when violence makes us its tools. When you look in a mirror, reflect on who's there, Is he flawlessly pure or has he made mistakes You aren't keen to uncover, who learns more from breaks That his mother might give him, than the belt his dad takes To the woodshed, "to learn him?" Tell me what's more "fair!" Can harsh punishment ever be Love's consequence? Was Christ's death for our faults or to show us God's Grace That was there all along? In such pain lies embrace That no man should ignore. "Jesus wept!" Liquid's trace! Don't you feel His tears shed, their revealed eloquence? If this day is my last, Lord, let me not conceal, Worst shame's flaw in pride's shade that might proffer one light, To a fellow fool feeling he's lost. Can the night Be a tent for our nakedness, mellow sin's sight To the sinless? Can sin be excused, if You're real? Your forgiveness seems path more inviting than free. Oh, in faith lies the journey where I hope to roam, There discover provisions you share, a new home, One where coming or going, Your Word's just "Shalom!" And the rainbow's curved smile shines for all that can be. Long Tooth June 28th in 2019