For Your Consideration

I present for your consideration shrewdness as the

virtue most needed as Lady Liberty flickers – such

shrewdness as that preached by the Virgin’s son.

We well know that evil that must be dragged into midday

sun so the searing heat of truth can cook away all but bones.

Yet what we’ve to contend with now is an opposite but equal

force that craves the light of attention, to be perched on the tip of

everyone’s tongue, mad to be the life of our broken parties.

To simply close our eyes is sin. We must even sleep with one open.

But perhaps there’s a way to fast this other evil, like our ginghamed

grandmothers believed in starving a fever: The infection must not be fed.

True, care must be taken or we’ll damage the body, but there’s

at least a chance we can recover if we give shrewdness a shot.

Refusing to feed this beast will require cunning most sheep find

foreign. But I propose its high time we learn to lard our lives

with such innocent ferocity, for the darkness compounds.

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14 Comments

  1. Michele Morin on November 27, 2017 at 8:16 am

    “Innocent ferocity”
    There’s enough truth in that phrase to chew on for a while — and certainly to pray for.

  2. Annie B on November 27, 2017 at 9:39 am

    Hope in the darkness.

  3. Diana Trautwein on November 27, 2017 at 9:41 am

    Amen.

  4. Henry Mitchell on November 27, 2017 at 11:16 am

    yes

  5. Phil Wood on November 27, 2017 at 11:24 am

    Amen.

  6. Karen on November 27, 2017 at 11:44 am

    This is beautiful and disturbing and so regrettably significant at this time. Thank you for so eloquently and thoughtfully putting into words what others cannot. I’m sharing, if that is ok.

    • John Blase on November 27, 2017 at 12:02 pm

      Sure, Karen. Thank you.

    • Roslyn on November 27, 2017 at 1:05 pm

      Thank you Karen…ditto your comment

  7. Ruth Brown on November 27, 2017 at 6:45 pm

    Great! Thank you, John

  8. abby blackmon on November 27, 2017 at 7:46 pm

    John!
    wow. you speak the truth with your usual eloquence, and this one- it is as sharp as that double-edged sword which is the Word of God…..
    gorgeous .
    thank you.

  9. R. Shreve on November 28, 2017 at 4:51 pm

    wow….this one goes deep and right to the point…words act as the double-edge sword to maybe slice our hearts and soul open once more…thank you….

  10. Jody Collinsw on November 28, 2017 at 6:52 pm

    oh my.
    these lines… “But I propose its high time we learn to lard our lives

    with such innocent ferocity, for the darkness compounds.”
    “to lard our lives”–in my mind’s eye, it is to fatten ourselves, enrich ourselves, in the very best way.
    Your word-weaving always astounds me. So well done.

  11. sandy hay on November 29, 2017 at 6:59 am

    Yes and Amen !!!

  12. Laura DeFilippo on November 30, 2017 at 6:53 am

    Amen

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