You Needn't Die
You needn't die you gentle folk
As if by cancer or by stroke;
As Paul made comment –“you can be
Quite healthy – and right quickly”.For life you've narrowed too far down
Defined for selves compassion's crown;
Reduced the tension for your clique
By driving misfits out of it.Community is rich, diverse,
You've turned it upside down, reverse,
Like flora, fauna, on the plains –
A monoculture it remains.Compassion people have one gift
(In Canada they need a lift);
Their gentle ways and scorn of pain
Informs them what to hold, retain.That's fine, but it's one gift of seven
God gave to us who live ’neath heaven;
You'd think that this was Bosnia
The way your ethnic cleanse ’round ya.“But ‘oneness’ is reality –
The only way to human be;
If you can't sense the mood of herd
Why should we countenance your word?“And furthermore, light candles, we,
In church and bath – ah! wax of bee!
Light – soft and gentle like the rain –
It calms my spirit, soothes my pain.“We sense the breach of circle round;
Mount righteous wars that peace be found;
If not with us, then you're with foe
Come, be like us – or feel the woe.“Kum-ba-ya, God, we'd sing all day
To summon Holy Spirit; say:
For all is one, and one is all,
Twix God and humans there’s no wall.“If Jesus did one thing that's right
It’s point that out, least in our sight;
World’s on a horizontal plane;
That ‘Lord-y’ stuff is quite arcane.“I'll not be under any man
Here or hereafter, if I can –
That ‘Lord of life’ stuff nonsense is –
One great amorphous blob life is.“And as for driving others out,
The Scripture says beyond a doubt,
Don't hassle, fight, or argue long,
And those who do just don't belong.“If folks can't learn to power-play;
To sneak around to get their way;
To lie; manipulate; and shun;
Face it, for life they'd better run.“Forgiveness? Not a problem there –
For patience keeps us from despair;
We wait until they come around,
Or if they don't, hit them when down.“Projection? Works so well for us –
We lay on others, ways with us;
We're great at wild imaginings;
If things feel good, it blessing brings.“Sex? God’s great wonder given for love –
An ordinance from up above
(I mean that metaphorically
I know, there is no ‘up’), (’cept me).“But getting back to sexual ways,
What better way to spend our days!
The ultimate? ‘Most closely bound,
Two soul- (at least) mates one, when found’.“Sex with its procreating power
Is goddess-like, creation’s hour;
We shape new waifs with gentle touch,
So they'll not differ from us much.“Inclusion? It's the way for us –
No differences – they make a muss;
One cup we drink symbolically,
As you, friend Jesus, died (oops, I mean, did) for me.”I know that groupies need a place
To be with those from human race
Who think, and act, with values yours;
All seven gifts say that, of course.But if that's all within your group,
You'll find yourselves soon in the soup;
’Cause other gifts to table bring
The balance that you lack within:Perceiver’s eyes point out the way;
The teachers info guides each day;
Encouragement gives hope, shows how;
And givers finance without row;The servers do things around the place;
Administrators lead the race.
All seven gifts in us are found –
In most, but one or two abound.God gave us all this mix of gifts;
It's balance we so crave’s in this:
“It not in one of us abides,
But in community resides”.Paul said we're like a body – one;
Each member, part, with strong gifts come;
Like ears, and nose, and hands, and feet –
We do our part – through mouth all eat.“But why on earth is Jesus ‘head’?
I'd sooner lead than just be led;
He's just a man, like one of us,
So why, of Him, make such a fuss?”First, He's the point-man on the team;
In God's great plan, that's what I mean –
God spent two thousand years or more
To raise a culture for this chore:To hear just what he had to say,
And write it down along the way;
To live it out, feel what it means
To live as God-filled human beings.’Twas Jesus who reversed the flow
From ‘join with us, if God you’d know’–
To ‘Judaism lite for me
And you – our cultures flavoured be’.And second, Jesus is the head
Because of us, for us, he bled
And died, and rose, in rich accord –
Lived out two thousand years of word.When off to Winnipeg we go
We have a choice of many roads
We choose the best from where we start –
Like roads, all ways meet at God's heart.Don't worry ’bout the other roads –
Pick one, be nimble, on your toes;
Direction of the road we take
Will richer, poorer, lifetime make.Consider now those words I said,
That your small group will soon be dead
If you drive out those other gifts
Because you hate internal rifts:Think first what you to body bring –
Your gift, not just that you can sing;
You hold up what to you is all –
The ‘oneness’ part of life for all.That aspect we don't see as clear
Because some other aspect’s near;
We cannot see – though hard we try –
We're different, just as hand to eye.Don't blame us if we cannot feel
The gentle breeze, at twilight's meal;
Or restful be as quiet pond
With spirit deep, no bottom found;Our ways aren't gentle, nor will be
Like yours – as mist out on this sea;
Our eyes don't sparkle with delight
Like candles, dancing firelight;Our hearts don't burn with passion hot
When ‘fair’ is not what neighbour got;
The rhythms of our lives don't sway
In drum’s deep resonating way;The melodies which fill your life
And salve your spirit in the strife
Rise not within our hearts as yours
As life through you the Spirit pours;The joy you feel, the ecstasy,
We read about, and sense in thee;
If you are not part of our lives
Our lives plod on, where meant to thrive.Allergic you were made to be
To us – six gifts – and we to thee,
Until we each turn things around –
God's Spirit in our lives then found.For then God's love pours out through us;
Our cravings cease, and power’s fuss;
Relaxed, we give-and-take in life;
Abundance flows – resolves our strife.Like you, if we don't open up –
Compassion's gifts and ‘oneness cup’
Take in as part of life around
We'll shrivel up and die – self-bound.For we, six blessings bring to you,
As rich, diverse, as in you viewed;
We see you dying on the vine
Rejecting gifts, like those of mine.navigation