Contempt

I knew this Labour-organizer as we'd grown a while as kids;
I asked her, from her point of view, just what the problem is.
“Contempt” she shot right back, and added “mutual it is –
It's wrecking lives on both sides now – an institution is.”

If folks would show some decency in dealing with each other,
Their lives could be quite wonderful, without a lot of bother;
But both sides feel they have to fuss, and strut, and power-play,
To get to where the need to be, as if no other way.

“So needless that, I'm not sure why it's rampant in the world,
For life is hard enough for folks without this constant swirl;
For me my faith plays major role in centering of me;
If not for that contempt would show, for that is what I'd be.

She was the first I knew who said “I think RC's are right –
If Pope had just said, ‘Martin dear, we'll change before this night
Has come upon us, goofed we did, let's hurry up and change
And welcome better view of life, and get back into range’–

How different life would be right now – just Catholics around,
No Protestants to fuzzy up the faith each culture’s found;
For ‘catholic’ means ‘universal’, one big body we,
With Christ the head and we the parts just like what's here as ‘me.’

For when we stop and look around they made his changes too,
But now the splits and factions turn the church into a zoo;
But what the heck, there's something there for any kind of taste,
As Creenglish-man outside it all, I see a lot of waste.

When I grew up, contempt there was between the churches then –
“Don't play with them, or wed their men, or you'll go round the bend”,
They said to us, quite silly that, just like in business now –
Contempt, mistrust, was mutual, with quite a lot of row.

Perhaps there'll be a thawing out here in the working place,
Like in my lifetime church has seen in letting in of grace
As we have given space to live to others in the flock
And curbed our tongues in what we've said, resisted them to mock.

My life has benefited from both groups – my marriage grown quite strong –
RC's had an enrichment course and let us tag along;
It happened just before all hell broke out within our group
And we went through the blender till we looked like blended soup.

I think of men and women who were raised the RC way –
A woman who quite freely spoke of how she'd kneel and pray
As each day ended, night began, it helped her cope with life –
Especially contempt she got each day in business strife.

And all the priests whom I have known, quite spiritually deep,
Who toiled in places quite remote, lives rich, both full and deep –
Translating Scripture, credit unions starting for us all,
While caring for the lone and lost, like Christ of manger stall.

They took me in, befriended me, let our group worship there;
I see the twinkle in their eyes, as journeys we'd compare;
I know they're having trouble now, just like the other group –
For human beings are the ones who in such labour stoop.

The Pope a statement made one time, “In this job I must take
A longer view of how things are, if sense of it I'd make –
Two hundred cycling years will pass with peaks and troughs so deep;
We all are in a trough today – the church right now is weak.

“But we get out of dreary times not just by happenstance;
The peaks of life emerge when we make change, not leave to chance. ”
So what are we attempting now in church and business life
That our tomorrow's will be great for husband, kids, and wife?

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