No More Empty Praise
I have prayed and prayed and prayed,
You don't listen ... I see the man who
Raised me, the man who worked his
Ass off day after day after 14-hour day,
The man who sacrificed EVERYthing so
His family could do and have and see
And experience what so many other
Families could not, the man who got
Up at all hours in order to fill emergency
Prescriptions for people in town, the
Man who spent what few free hours he
Had on committees and boards and
Organizations, in order to make a
Better world for his town and family,
The man who let EVERYone, some of
His friends included, walk all over his
Kindness for the sake of character, the
Man who let the townsfolk PASS on tens
Of thousands of dollars of debt when
He sold his business, all for the sake
Of being kind and understanding, the
Man who always took a back seat to his
Beloved wife for the sake of true love
And being the "good husband", the
Man who worked SO hard that he rarely
Got to see his children or spend time
Having fun or just enjoying life, the
Man who has NEVER made an enemy
In this entire world, because integrity
And kindness were his compass - his
True North - I see this man crumbling
Before my eyes, the incredibly acute
Mind that was valedictorian of his class
At MCP, struggling to grasp what's
Real and what isn't, the once strong
Legs, shuffling and buckling with
Almost every step, the once sharp
And twinkling eyes now fading - one
Gone, and one going - this amazingly
GOOD man, once larger than life
And the tower of strength and
Character, is slowly fading from his
Pedestal, and You are NOT listening
To my prayers! Please, give him BACK!
If you're going to take him, take him
With dignity and kindness and love,
Give BACK to him the things he has
Given to us and life and You! Isn't
That the very LEAST he deserves?!?
Not this slow, painful, undignified
Decay ... he is worth SO much more
Than this! Take ME instead, and give
Him back his family, and his vitality,
And his pedestal - he EARNED it,
Stone-by-stone he built it with
His hands and the sweat of his toil!
Why don't You hear me? Are you
Determined to have me forsake you
For all time? I want my father BACK ...
Is that not but a small thing for
The One, The All, The Everything?!?
The being who created the heavens
And Earth and Universe can't grant
Me this small request?? Where ARE
You?? Answer me!! No ... I didn't
Think so. Be forsaken, then ... there
Can be no good in this, no lesson,
No grand wisdom gained, no "God
Has a better plan", just the slow
Deterioration of the best man I've ever
Known! There is nothing godly or
Sacred in that, and you are either NOT,
Or you are CRUEL! Either way, I shall
Waste no more time on You!! Be
The useless receiver of everyone
ELSE's praises and worship, you shall
Not be mine, for there is no justice
Or glory or grand purpose in what
You're doing to my father, just
Negligence, cruelty, or The Grand Lie.
DONE.
** This was an emotional poem, written out of pain, sadness, and anger
... I pray you take it as such, and not a commentary or judgement on my personal beliefs. It was a purge of sorts, and I believe those things are important to share, as well as the joyous. **
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