Many Ways to Become Rich

 

Many Ways to Become Rich

(“I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor.” Psalm 140:12)

There are many ways to get rich:
become famous, write a book
(do not sell poetry)
collect the spoils of war
(do not organize for peace).

The hems of my blue jeans were frayed
when I wandered the halls of temporary buildings
in the middle class high school I attended
in navy bells and khaki shirts.
(it is a sorry time when an aging man
must reach back to his teens to find substance for
his literary works.)

I never knew then the stitches that connected
breathing to living,
eating to breathing
and giving to eating
corn soup and simple fry bread
in the corner kitchens where friends waited
the passing of the latest blizzard--clapboard
government housing and those of a certain age
who slept on broom-swept dirt floors.

We rarely spoke of who would pay for the next meal
we shared in common, or the next pizza we tossed on
the table in town. From suburban bars with Italian sausage
to franchises with frisbee logos,
we ordered water if our wallets would not sing.

I had a friend once who frequented the bars. I loved
him (and I think he enjoyed Jesus without the weaknesses
of those who have no flaws). Once we had coffee,
often we prayed, he mowed the church lawn in his
cowboy boots
and on New Year’s Eve
he died
outside
the home where he lived with
handfuls of cousins and uncles. It was sub-zero
and no one found him until the slow northern sun
deceived us into thinking the warmth would revive him
if only we waited a while.

There are many ways to become poor:
sell your soul, increase the volume,
(do not listen outside your door)
exert your privilege
(do not befriend the frightened).

I have too many friends, I need to find more
who cannot wait to share coffee
walking down the frozen pavement.
How can I ignore you any longer,
how can my heart be so cold.