{"id":1249,"date":"2013-12-22T19:25:28","date_gmt":"2013-12-23T00:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/toppun.com\/blog\/?p=1249"},"modified":"2013-12-22T19:25:28","modified_gmt":"2013-12-23T00:25:28","slug":"poem-its-about-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toppun.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/22\/poem-its-about-time\/","title":{"rendered":"POEM: It’s About Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

One day<\/span>
\nI had a dream<\/span>
\nGod came to me and said<\/span>
\nMeet me tomorrow at 4:32 pm<\/span>
\nOn the bench<\/span>
\nIn the small park<\/span>
\nAt the corner of Ashland and Collingwood<\/span>
\nNear your home<\/span>
\nYou have something I want<\/span>
\nMy first reaction was<\/span>
\nDoesn’t God consider all of the riches of the world<\/span>
\nAs but a penny?!<\/span>
\nDoesn’t God consider a thousand years<\/span>
\nAs but a second?!<\/span>
\nWhat could God possibly<\/span>
\nWant from me?!<\/span>
\nMy second reaction was<\/span>
\nIsn’t that time and place<\/span>
\nAwefully specific?<\/span>
\nI closed shop a little early that next day<\/span>
\nAnd I sat there<\/span>
\nIn the park<\/span>
\nLots of traffic<\/span>
\nBut not a soul<\/span>
\nIt seemed somewhat foolish<\/span>
\nKnow one there<\/span>
\nAccept the neighborhood homeless guy<\/span>
\nAnd, of course, me<\/span>
\nSo with perpetually bad timing<\/span>
\nThe homeless man blurts out<\/span>
\nYes, all of the riches of the world are as but a penny!<\/span>
\nYes, a thousand years is as but a second!<\/span>
\nSo be aware!<\/span>
\nNow<\/span>
\nA well dressed passerby<\/span>
\nShakes his head<\/span>
\nWithout breaking his gait<\/span>
\nI was stunned<\/span>
\nBuy the time<\/span>
\nI could<\/span>
\nMuster a thought<\/span>
\nHe was walking away<\/span>
\nSo I<\/span>
\nBlurted out<\/span>
\nSo, if all of the riches of the world are as but a penny<\/span>
\nAnd a thousand years is as but a second<\/span>
\nCan you spare a dime!?<\/span>
\nWithout turning<\/span>
\nHe lightly raised his hand<\/span>
\nGiving a somewhat dismissive gesture<\/span>
\nJust<\/span>
\nSaying<\/span>
\nSure<\/span>
\nIn a sec<\/span><\/p>\n

This short poem is an elaboration of a joke I once heard.\u00a0 I liked the juxtaposition of the sense of wealth and time from a divine and a human perspective.\u00a0 The “better off” human(s) in this poem find themselves ironically betwixt the divine and “worse off” humans.\u00a0 The joke exposes the gap between God and humans, as well as the gap between “better off” and “worse off” humans.\u00a0 To someone with an immediate need, like the homeless, putting them off temporarily is essentially putting their need off essentially forever.\u00a0 If not now, when?\u00a0 The sad rationale that “better off” persons use regularly is that “the poor will always be with us” (to bastardize Jesus’ words), so we can help them occasionally when it is convenient for us — thanks homeless people for presenting that ongoing opportunity!\u00a0 Unfortunately, this typically falls far short of meeting the need of many persons at any given time.<\/p>\n

It is no accident that I wrote and published this poem during the Christmas season.\u00a0 Jesus was a homeless man without worldly riches.\u00a0 If we were to look to Jesus as a model manifestation of humanity and divinity, then celebrating Christmas would look little like modern Christmas, with its commercialization and focus on getting and consumption.\u00a0 For at least centuries, humans have had the resources to meet every basic human need.\u00a0 Yet, a painfully huge proportion of “present day” humans go without basic needs.\u00a0 This fact of abundance stands as an indictment on the scarce and barren worldview that carries the day for most of us much of the time.\u00a0 This is a worthy reality to reflect upon this “present day.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One day I had a dream God came to me and said Meet me tomorrow at 4:32 pm On the bench In the small park At the corner of Ashland and Collingwood Near your home You have something I want … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,15],"tags":[503,5,166,170,538,460,65,305,24,500,548,354,658,94,107,491,601,106,531,529,111,550],"class_list":["post-1249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poems","category-political-and-philosophical-musings","tag-abundance","tag-christmas","tag-commercial","tag-consumption","tag-dream","tag-foolish","tag-god","tag-humanity","tag-jesus","tag-joke","tag-modern","tag-perspective","tag-poems","tag-poetry","tag-poor","tag-present","tag-reality","tag-rich","tag-soul","tag-time","tag-wealth","tag-worldview"],"yoast_head":"\nPOEM: It's About Time | Poems, Political and Philosophical Musings | Top Pun's Poetry, Funny Puns, Free Posters, Public Health Radio Show! 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