References Poems | Examples

Character References

Character References

By Mark D. Stucky
If I applied for new employment,
should I write down for my references
my malicious manager who mistreats workers,
my onetime teammate serving prison time,
my drug-dealing cousin crashing in a crack house,
or long-lost relatives living in unknown locations?
If I used such rogue references,
could I honestly expect acceptance?

Yet, Jesus applied for the job
of Redeemer of humanity
and, for references, he is using us,
rogue saints and reformed sinners,
who all too often fail our calling
to love all other people
and pursue righteousness.

With character references
as checkered as Christians are,
can Jesus expect acceptance
by the rest of the world?


(First published in Calla Press, 9 April 2022. See also my poems “Hate Vacuuming?” and “What Would Jesus Tweet?”)

(Image by Van Tay Media on Unsplash.com.)