Fools We All Are

 

 

A promise is comfort to a fool

Especially to them that wait:

I must be one; I am convinced,

I was thinking here of late.

 

My life is full of promises

Therefore I must be a fool

And waiting on each to be fulfilled

I find comfort my trusted tool.

 

In one’s work there is a promise

To work and then get pay

And one works with expectation

Especially as it nears payday.

 

 

Married people are fools

Comforted by conjugal ties

And if you are married like I am

For years on “I do” you’ve relied.

 

Children rely on promises

Certainly they too are fools,

Trusting in what adults promise

Both at home and at school.

 

The electorate or illiterate,

Not sure which of the two I am,

Especially if it’s a priority need

We would dare to trust a man.

 

The eager conman lies in wait

For another trusting fool

And with his assured pleasing facade

Opens up his bag of tools.

 

“I won’t be caught again,” we say

And that is, till the next time,

Up comes another smooth talker

And we do not recognize his kind.

 

Fools we all are, by now you see

We have to trust somebody,

A promise is comfort to a fool

That means both you and me.

 

At work, at school, at play

Promises is a way of life

And every time a promise is broken,

There is likely to be strife.

Some promises are stated

These are the contractual kind,

Often we sign on the dotted line

But not each and every time.

 

Some are just word-of-mouth

“Lend me and I’ll pay you back”

An event or time is stipulated

But concerning both there is lack.

 

Think back in your mind

And note how trusting you are,

An event will surface, I am sure

Such an event cannot be far.

 

A promise made and not kept

Makes that victim a fool,

If a victim’s experience has been yours

Comfort was that conman’s tool.

 

Trust in God and not in man

God is the source of all comfort

But be aware that in everyday life

There are predators of all sorts.

 

Stewart Russell © May 2019