Jack Pelham

He does well
Who learns to care
About the past
And the future—

Who broadens the scope
Of his awareness
Beyond his own
Immediate concerns—

This is just your first body.
And if things go well,
You’ll be given a second.

How difficult for the creature
To want to submit himself
To the will of his Creator—

And harder still—
Having decided to want it—
To manage to live that way!

Wouldn’t it be ironic
If we were waiting on God to act
And he were waiting on us?

The tool that does everything
Will not fit into one’s pocket.

It’s the lighter
With the fold-out fire extinguisher.

She leads with logic
In this case she is making—
As if believing
(And expecting quite naturally to be agreed with by all)
That valid logic is authoritative,
And ought rightfully
To rule the day.

He tips the hat to virtue,
Thinking it a signal of his own.

But he’s a fool
And out of balance—
Grossly over-invested
In the praising of
His own good intentions,
While ignoring the shame
Of his own unvirtuous habits.

When he hangs up on you
Without even hearing
Why you’re calling,
One wonders
If this is the only way
He shoots himself in the foot.

When there’s no outrage over injustice,
There’s no righteousness.

And when there’s no righteousness,
There’ll be outrage over justice.

There are many exits
On that great interstate of learning—
The end of which cannot
Be reached in a lifetime.