My115thDream

Poem - "Death of a Secular Savior"

You’re always up for joining a crowd
As the center of all the attention,
But with this one you’ve found, as they stare without
sound,
A primary point of contention.
These are the few, this elite motley crew,
These are the fortunate ones,
Their faces are five and their eyes look alive
As they stare at your face down their guns.
You feign not the fear that you feel as you find
Your bag is now empty of tricks,
Tried by twelve that are eager to see you
Carried slowly by six.
Your spell has been broken, the jury has spoken,
And now they’re having their way.
Your neck’s in a noose that will never come loose
If the hanging judge has his way.
The grass that was grown from the seeds that you’ve sown
Is tripping you up at the feet,
They’re burning your books and they’ve banished your boots
From the city’s once-welcoming streets.
Your crimes of the past have caught up at last
And they look so much uglier now,
Painted as deeds of the devil’s own doing
Like you acted alone somehow.
How soon they forget or perhaps just regret
That they all went along for the ride,
To feel the fury and fan the fire
With a joker who took it in stride.
In their younger years they’d open their ears
And drink in every last word,
Eagerly yearning for the wisdom and learning
That flowered from what they had heard.
You guided the gang to the greatest of glory
As their prophet and leader in spirit.
When your poetic words flew high with the birds,
They were always eager to hear it.
Milk and honey of the springtime of youth
Turned sour and stale with the years,
Your grin now elicits a shifty-eyed gaze
Where once it was greeted with cheers.
You never did think that when poised on the brink
And put to the very last test,
That your comrades would slip and cash in their chips
And fall into step with the rest.
One by one with their backs to the sun
They walked off in the other direction,
Not even the brightest of your broken brigade
Can now offer you any protection.
They now feel ashamed for playing your game
And engaging in sinful behavior,
Now they and their wives won’t even think twice
About killing a secular savior.
They’ve listed your crimes dating back to old times,
On your tombstone soon they’ll engrave them.
They’ll lower you down for corrupting their kin,
When in fact you’re all that can save them.