Jack Pelham

The whim of the leader
Becomes the very destiny
Of those who follow.

He does not realize
That his every word and deed
Is being added to the record of his life
As if it were his own testimony under oath before
Judge and jury in a court of competent jurisdiction.

Sometimes the hardest words
To get someone to hear are
“You are not listening.”

I sat at that table
And looked you in the eye
As I proved to you beyond disputing
That the man had been lying to you.

He will likely have to exhaust
All his self-congratulations
About what he thinks he knows
Before he’ll be in a spot to consider—
To really consider, I should say—
The import of the questions
That have been put to him.

If pride and presumption rule,
He will learn little.
But if humility rules,
He will be a new man,
Rekindled.

Is there any evil so great
That all the people
Will stand up to oppose it?

When you can robustly love another human
For the long haul—
Even when you know they don’t
Love you back—
That’s when you know
What real love is.

Some simply want a we and an us
Far more than they want the truth.

They want a place to belong
And a label by which
To call themselves
Much more than they want
To understand either themselves
Or the big picture of this world.

You can spot the authentic people.
They’re the ones who are always trying
To become more authentic.

The best friends
Will make your life better.
It’s what they do.