Pockets Lined with Gold

Pockets Lined with Gold

(“He has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly.” Luke 1:52)

Pockets lined with gold,
people queued for food,
tyrants on the throne,
beggars inhabiting the pews.
Turn around now,
spin out of your cycle,
let the eyes of the needy capture
you by the hands and pull you in
until you understand your
riches are not the blessing of God.

Instead, let justice roll down like thunder,
let your assets account for your deafened ears
and give thought to the ways
the mountains stay suspended as they
send their snows in streams to the sea.

Do you see how humbly God answers?
Do you observe the prayers of the poor?
Have you ever seen the tables turned;
have you given away what you have already earned?
You are not that innocent.
You are not that ignorant.
You’ve seen them cross your street just to
miss the subway on their last day of work.
And now they do not know what name,
or what denomination,
or what currency will ever buy
their dignity back. You have seen them
and have pushed your way through the
crowd to the penthouse with the secret code
only cudgels know. Document your
oblivion and send it down the
U-turn postal service to remind you tomorrow
of everything you ignored today.