Author Archives: jackpelham

If you want to understandWhat a human soul is really like,Then step back and observeHow it manages its beliefs.

I have seen the camps adopt a truthThe others reject, and still Bring ruin upon themselves,Either by way of not embracing it fully,Or of not letting go of some other thingThey have yet got wrong.

Some are so full of themselvesAnd of the culture of the camp That they could read the whole Bible,Stem to stern, and never perceiveThat the camp and God haveDifferent ideas about what is evil. Others perceive it somewhat, In glimpses … Continue reading →

The one presumes to be a member of the organization Without doing what the membersAre all supposed to do. And you’re not supposed to notice—Not supposed to call them out on it.And when you do, here comes the other.

INTERVIEWER: “So, Freddy, you had 84 years to live down on the Earth. What did you spend your time doing?” FREDDY: “Oh, it was great! I spent most of my time defending the status quo and encouraging people to feel … Continue reading →

Why will a people languish While regarding as holy a textThey will not take to heart?—A text they will neither studyNor implement as it deserves?—A text they will not learn themselves,Even as they insist that others should do?

What is this brain, this living machine,Ever striving to make sense of things,Even when working unsupervised? And who is this idiot that has charge of it—Morally stupid beyond what he is Willing to admit, and clueless as toThe great value … Continue reading →

She’s all but lost—This idea that won’t die,But won’t live, either— This Great ExperimentOn whether the peopleCould rule themselvesComing down to the questionOf whether they would rule themselves—That is, whether they were willing.

NOTE: Here are the words to a section of a choral suite I’ve been working on. It’s about an episode from my distant family history—a tortured soul who tortured others. She died circa 1915, and from her came some who … Continue reading →

When you give the man a Bible to take home and read,And he comes back, having found no particular hopeIn the message of repentance and obedience,But only in the glorious message of eternal life,He has shown you that he does … Continue reading →