What Do You Do

Do you always have ready excuse In your pocket for times that life throws you a curve? What if someone you love ups and dies? Does it matter at all if they took their own life Suddenly they’re not part of your earth. If they lived a full life or died close to their birth, Or if God somehow took them away, Should society kill to keep loved ones from harm, End a rapist’s life, have you the nerve? Would you imprison gossips who live to tell lies Hurting others, the goal of each day, And is saving this way really true path to bliss, Chopping hands off of thieves the best cure? Any “victims” who lie about other’s abuse What’s the punishment they should endure? When the people you want to trust lie to your face, Politicians that lie for own gain And they misrepresent things that others have said In pursuit of nefarious goals. What a joke that McConnell says “Give others voice!” When he seeks just to limit their choice And would sabotage government others elect With no pretense of wanting to serve. To block Justice hearings creates new kind of pain Unknown consequence waking the dead As his willful abuse insults our intellect. How do criminal acts make us free? In democracy shouldn’t majority win, The protection of weak sign of grace, What’s the outcome when losers cannot be sanguine?  Though all men see that evil abounds If you claim to be Christian, then what do you do? Do you know what to “turn your cheek” means? Though the Christ did drive robbers and thieves from God’s house, Where in Bible does He cast first stone Or leave sinfulness free to wrack havoc alone? Earthly wealth is one measure of sin, Though in ignorance men chose to die for its sake! Seems man’s justice is vanity too, And frauds going to church the world’s new philistines! The real Christians are those who take in All the shelter-less, sick, and the poor of this earth, Those whose grace to man profits them least! For the truth that can save you is that which confounds, Will Christ recognize you at the feast? Though life’s outcome is largely unknown to us all Though our failures may not be absolved, I’m convinced that things always work best if we’re fair And that slander does not cut the grade. How I pray for the decency battle abhors. Can’t we set aside dogma of wars? In a nuclear conflict are lucky ones dead? Is it possible that this is true, And political battles are never resolved? Does the victor drag corpse to his lair? And whoever is dead are there bad dreams ahead? Are you really that pleased with the end? Is the tune in your head still a bittersweet song, Is there someone to weep if you fall? Do you finally feel that you’re where you belong? Brian Johnston March 19, 2016