As Far Right as West Is

As Far Right as West Is

(“I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer.” Matthew 5:44 [The Message])

Let’s pick teams like we did in grade school,
the greens with the greens, the cool with the cool.
Let’s fight it out after the last bell,
prove the scholar versus fool
on the steps
behind the gym
underneath the seats
making shadow lengths
of aluminum.

Make sure the crowd gathers circle,
let it begin with verbal (words find their mark
but leave no bruises)
and end with mortal (me against you
settled with black eyes and blue).

Let’s not parade our antique brawls,
or masquerade our sophomore squalls.
We are walled as well as bully in the halls
with better decorum and etiquette.

Propriety quotes unknown sources,
and throws them in the faces of false quotations
smearing names with a righteous incantation
that smells like an electrical fire, like a model
railroad locomotive run too many times past the station.

Grow up new-birthed, wear the wardrobe gladly of
rain disdaining our fences,
sunshine disregarding faces
and washing away the lines drawn in the sand.

How could your Father create
words you rearrange to dictate
costumed hatred (sounds like scripture
the way it is stated).

Grow up new-winged reflections, like the shine from
your Father’s house, the doorbell answered,
the family gathered from as far right as west is,
and east as left is; mud and rain and sun.