Teeth of Gold

- and how many have you sold?

Written early January 2012 - (42 lines)

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You may be rich and able to fill
Your mouth with teeth of gold but still
You cannot eat the precious stuff
So wake up now and take the tough
Decision and confess your greed
Then sell one tooth so you can feed
Some of the poor and destitute -
Are you going to be resolute
Or continue to prevaricate
In that same old pitiful state?

Do you not feel it is time to act
On the small inconvenient fact
That you are selfish in all you do?
Will you ever let goodness through
To lead you like a ray of light
On the path to what is right?

As we await your answer to that
Sadly we hear only idle chat
When the pathetic show begins
More empty words and hollow grins
That all end in a golden flash
To signal another mouthful of trash

You may have perfect golden teeth
But there is little or nothing beneath
That fine and expensive thin veneer
To all but yourself it is painfully clear
That your broad smile is cold and a fake
That not in a thousand years will make
You any true and lasting friends
And how the story of your life ends
Is up to YOU and you alone
You know you must give up all you own
So would you agree that a reasonable way
Is sharing a little of it today?

Think about it: before you die
How many more golden teeth will you buy
Instead of meals and clothes for the poor?
"Not one!" you may say - but are you sure?

It is never too late to do the right thing
And as written and promised will always bring
Lasting rewards not only for you
So is it not obvious what to do?

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Copyright © 2012 - IBRAHEEM (O.E.H.Johansen) - All Rights Reserved

Giving

- there are enough worthy causes

Written late February 2009 - (68 lines)

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They say that wealth is like manure:
If you pile it all up in one place
It stinks for the rest of us to endure
And visibly is a disgrace

Much better therefore to spread it around
At the grassroots level to be sure
And lots of benefits will soon be found
Particularly for the poor

It is not simply sympathy
When you answer a beggar's call
Clearly there is empathy
But is that really all?

Did breaking through the defences you built
Bring you back into touch
By making you feel some kind of guilt
For you know you have too much?

Some will protest: "But how do we know
That the beggars are sincere?
Maybe what we see is just a show?"
Indeed, but the answer is clear:

For that is a risk that the giver takes
And if someone cheats you, who cares?
If those you helped today were all fakes
That is not your problem but theirs!

You see, regardless of the amount
Extracted by a crafty crook
They will surely all be held to account
For as written in the book -

Those who obtained what did not belong
To them through fraud and deception
Shall bring their ill-gotten gains along
On the Day of Resurrection

And giving makes you feel so good
You owe it to yourself to try
If you are lucky or in the right mood
It will bring a tear to your eye

Having done your duty, that will do
You may now move on
Knowing that you have today been true
To your faith, much has been won

Keep for yourself all that you need
Plus maybe a little bit more
But how can you refuse to feed
The destitute at your door?

How can you turn them away empty-handed
To carry on their trudge?
Why they beg and how they stranded
Is not for us to judge

So help the old man and the single mother
They make it so easy to give
And every one of them is another
Good reason for you to live!

Over time the right attitude
May form the point of view
That although what you did for them was good
They did more for you!

Give freely today and willingly
All that you can spare
Look around and you find worthy
Causes everywhere

Nothing you ever did before
Can make your halo shine
Like sponsoring traumatised orphans
In brutalised Palestine...

Don't guard forever your hoarded treasure
Much better, if only you knew
Unlock it and give some away for the pleasure
Of the ONE who created you

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Copyright © 2009 - IBRAHEEM (O.E.H.Johansen) - All Rights Reserved