New Clothes No Clothes

 

 

See my new clothes!

No seams, No threads, the best!

Extremely expensive:

Paying more for less!

 

Be it Carnival in T&T

Or Kadooment in Bim,

New clothes are no clothes;

Do note my spin.

 

It is trick or treat

For the easily misled

Regarding the many disillusions

We are daily fed.

 

Fake it till you make it!

Believe it and you have it!

Such new clothes are no clothes:

Not a single stitch!

 

 

It’s in the church too

And very prominent as well,

Just close your eyes and make believe

I hear believers tell.

 

Can you see what I see?

Just have faith,

My friend, it is as simple as that

To keep pace.

 

Man, it is like magic:

Illusion, delusion and trick,

Those new clothes are no clothes

Don’t you trip!

 

Especially you ladies,

Please pay close attention!

Your make-believe new clothes

Are a no invention.

 

 

Much exists in our mind

And also in our dreams

And very often in today’s world

It is what it seems.

 

The apparent is real

In our very unreal world

And in the most unlikely places

There are fake pearls.

 

And so, we step out

Feeling mighty great,

Believing we are what we are not

Unaware of our state.

 

A fool’s paradise:

In new brand no clothes,

And at the morally sane and stable

We turn up our nose.

 

For they are naked

And can’t acquire our attire,

In our new clothes no clothes

We advertise for hire.

 

To the highest bidder

We are dressed to kill

And in our new clothes no clothes

We live to thrill.

 

Whatever your imagination,

Just believe it is real

And ignore that innocent child

That says you’ve failed.

 

 

Even in their fantasy

Children see our nakedness

And are very quick at times

To point out our mess.

 

New clothes no clothes!

Be careful what you wear,

Having on absolutely nothing

Is far worse than a tear.

 

Revelation 3:17

 

Because thou sayest,

I am rich,

And increased with goods,

And have need of nothing;

 

And knowest not

That thou art wretched,

And miserable, and poor,

And blind, and naked.

 

Stewart Russell © March 12, 2025

 

Free Is Not Cheap

 

 

This is a call to distinguish

Between free and cheap

And as you read this poem

Take note of what I speak.

 

To move out stock quickly

Stores may put on sales

And the prices are so reduced

That such seldom fails.

 

The items are not cheap

But the prices now reduced,

Patrons rush to buy them up

Having become induced.

 

Cheap relates to value

Or better still, little or none,

There’s little worth in the item

And from it most patrons run.

 

Such is often given away

Since very few want to buy,

Only the poor and destitute

Would dare to give it a try.

 

An item might be expensive

But is given to another,

To that one it becomes a gift

But that’s a different matter.

 

“Cheap things are no good

And good things are not cheap”,

A caution to the buyer

That is looking for a treat.

 

In the long run it is costly

When we buy something cheap,

It seldom gets the job done

And is more “trick than treat”.

 

This is the devil’s brand

And is very easy to acquire,

At first it may appear to work

But in the long term it is fire.

 

Let me however introduce you

To a free but costly gift,

Sounds somewhat contradictory

But in a minute you’ll get my drift.

 

 

The glorious gift of salvation

Does not cost us a single cent,

It is free to the born again believer

And that is God’s intent.

 

However it cost Christ his life

His precious poured out blood,

It is he that purchased our salvation

He is the only one that could.

 

It is free to every sinner

But certainly it is not cheap

For had salvation been a cost to us

That would be infinitely steep.

 

Eternal life is offered to all

That is the value of God’s gift,

That life is hid in Christ His Son

By now you’ve gotten my drift.

 

Why buy bread that is not bread

And wine that is not wine?

Instead accept the offer of the Saviour

To come unto him and dine.

 

Free but certainly not cheap

And of eternal merit,

Guaranteed By God the Father

The Son and Holy Spirit.

 

God gave all He could

The Lord Jesus shed his blood,

Why not accept the priceless offer?

I really think you should.

 

 

For salvation is free not cheap

It cost Almighty God His all,

In Jesus Christ He gave Himself

Won’t you respond to his call?

 

Stewart Russell © August 2018