Givers (Matthew 13:55)

“The givers have constraints as well”, he said,
They’re not allowed to feed and to be fed
By quality – it’s mediocrity
Which drives the likes of others whom they see.

That breaks their hearts, discourages their view,
And troubles them in all the work they do;
Think back to those who questioned Jesus Christ –
“Son of the carpenter, whose work is nice”.

Not “a” but “the”, as in, “son of the one
We know and love, by whom the best is done”;
Not “any old”, but “only very best”,
“Son of the carpenter” – known by the rest.

So, what of us? Will we put out the cash
To pay for what is best when workers ask
That they take home reward for good work done,
So they might raise their kids – show how it’s done?

Not likely – mana mixed as sparkle in
The work we do takes time once we begin
To grow to full expression in each craft,
Commanding recompense – exchange as asked.

Three things a business gives – or can, at least –
The first is what’s above – it’s quality;
Not always needed, nor do all the folks
Want quality – that’s left for other blokes.

The second gift is service – “This way, ma’am”
“We’ll do it right away, and if we can
Much faster, better, simpler, than before;
It’s service we provide – that something more.”

The third is price – low price I mean by that;
Low cost helps us move on – but it must match
The value we’ve received – however viewed,
So all mankind might have their hearts renewed.

A client can have two of these each time
They make exchange – your widget there for mine –
Not three of three, for that destroys one’s soul,
For quality takes time to reach its goal.

Fast service? Then I must be quick to make
High quality, and deftly undertake
My task – and that costs years of life to grow
To level of such skill – which we all know.

Or, I must hire in more to do your task;
Together we’ll give service as you asked,
But that costs money too – hence higher cost;
For quality plus service – prices lost.

If you want something cheap it takes some time –
Perhaps it’s DIY, if you don’t mind
Fine craftsmanship as you sew carefully,
And learn the skills to make things beautifully.

Thus service takes the fall so other two
(Low-cost, high quality) can bring to you
Deep satisfaction, beauty without price –
You can’t afford yet you get something nice.

If someone wants all three, it can’t be done
For long – attrition’s work is soon begun –
High quality with speed without return,
The worker’s livelihood begins to burn.

In Hebrew, word for greeting’s based on “whole”,
Just like the market words – “exchange or stole?”
Are you “whole person” – “Did they tear a strip
From you, your family, finance – goodness rip?”

For them, a payment thus restores the whole
To tradesmen, merchants – doesn’t take a toll
From spirit, rather, adds to life around –
Take two not three so social life is sound.

Adjustment’s just a short-term bit of pain,
As other workers better payments gain;
(That’s skewed of course – a few are at the top
And dominate the rest with what they’ve got).

So, “cost” or “price” is larger part in life
For us, as this adjustment makes things right
For more throughout the world – hence quality
Is hard to find (or give) – hence GST –

The “Value Added Tax” the feds brought in
To fund our social life, had to begin –
So service (now what most of workers give)
Is base of tax, not goods) so all can live –

In Canada throughout transition time;
“Goods” carried cost before, but now the lines
Of workers in the factories are gone;
Though GST’s not nice, it is not wrong.

So what of China, India – the rest –
Where jobs have gone, despite how we protest?
For that we must stand back and take a longer view,
And in that light consider what to do:

The British had the guns and ships to make
The other lesser-nations undertake
Exchange with them without a fair return –
They got resource supplied they did not earn.

Now that has stopped, third world is catching up –
We give them jobs – cheap labor makes it tough
For local workers who’ve already climbed
The economic hill a job to find –

Which pays enough to fund their families,
So labor pool’s expanded with all these
New workers in the world economy –
So wages crash with prices – as we see.

So price and service are the two we get;
In Canada fair price we pay and yet
Good workman who excel in handicraft
Don’t get a chance – those trying seldom last.

We live in times of mediocrity;
Good work producing crafts with quality
Does not command the price – folks don’t have cash
To recompense the work – so take a pass.

The party’s over – built on power’s ways
Of making others give in former days
Without a fair exchange – ten billion thefts
Of the land, resource, and people – so, the next –

Few years is all about adjustment time
While some dig in the pie, say, “All is mine”,
There is this huge adjustment going on,
So option of high quality is gone.

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