Unconditional Love

 

 

What do I know about it?

Little, if anything,

What’s the quality of my practice?

In this, I am lacking.

 

Sounds kind of hollow

Whenever I hear it,

My example and what daily I see

Is a not a habit.

 

I still struggle with self

More than I should

And tell me if I could do better

You know I would.

 

Yes, I often talk to myself

Trying to convince me

That I am doing the best I can

But not truthfully.

 

Unconditional love

What is your grade?

I can tell you that as for myself,

Mine is a FAIL!

 

Don’t you begin to think

I am hard on myself

For of all the photos in my mind

I’m # 1 on my shelf.

 

You may say I am honest

Given my analysis

Because I have openly confessed

I am first on my list.

 

But admitting to guilt

Should not me excuse

Or anyone else, for that matter,

If the wrong they choose.

 

It is practically not easy:

Unconditional love,

Though Jesus demonstrated it

When he came for above.

 

 

There is absolutely no self

In unconditional love,

For you that scored yourself high

That’s what I’m talking of.

 

I am seeing the adjustment

You are already making,

Unconditional love is about giving

Far more than taking.

 

Now create two columns:

Under “Giving and Taking”

And show me that you give more

Than you rake in.

 

Do not include your bills

Or even your tithes:

Women, don’t include your husbands

Or husbands, your wives.

 

Check the good Samaritan

Back in the Bible time,

This was unconditional love;

He wasn’t just kind.

 

 

He risked his own life

For his life-long foe,

Very unlike the Levite and priest

Who no concern showed.

 

Unconditional love

Isn’t who is my neighbour

But rather, and fundamentally so,

Am I a neighbour?

 

Note the lawyer’s question:

“Who is my neighbour?”

And note Jesus’ pedagogical approach

In cluing him the answer.

 

Don’t ask the question

Who is my neighbour

But do the introspection and ask:

Am I a neighbour?

 

Luke 10:37

 

And he said,

He that shewed mercy on him.

Then said Jesus unto him,

Go, and do thou likewise.

 

Romans 5:7-8

 

For scarcely for a righteous man

Will one die:

Yet peradventure for a good man

Some would even dare to die.

 

But God

Commendeth his love toward us,

In that, while we were yet sinners,

Christ died for us.

 

Herein then,

Is unconditional love:

That Jesus Christ gave up all,

Even heaven above.

 

Stewart Russell © November 28, 2024

 

Francine and Gercine

 

 

Picture a detached kitchen

Out in the yard

And a time when lard-oil

Could still get hard.

 

And picture a woman

Still taking in clothes

And I mean, like a clothes laundry,

By the gigantic loads.

 

Francine in her kitchen

And Gercine outside,

No paling around either yard

So they cannot hide.

 

Follow the mid-morning chat

From a while back

At a time when regarding privacy

There was some lack.

 

 

“Whuh loss!

My perspiration lather in sweat!

Yuh wud tink it did raining

And I get wet.

 

Uh ovah a whole tub o’ clothes

And muh jucking board,

And let me tell you, neighbour,

It is a gigantic load.”

 

“Well, I hey in de kitchen

And as yuh know it out in de yard.

Last night was so cold

It had de lard-oil hard.

 

Uh stirring some cou-cou

Wid some harslip

And I gine use it wid some sweet potatoes

From muh potato slip.”

 

 

“How yuh husband?”

“Oh, he gone in de ground,

And de lil boy eat nuff dunks

And now he bound.”

 

“I was gine ask ‘bout he

But yuh read muh mind.”

“Youuu! I got to be ready fuh George,

Whuh is de time?”

 

“Just half-past nine,

Man, you got a lot o’ time.

I guess yuh using dah cou-cou

Wid some okra slime?”

 

Gercine, you guess right,

George like it so

And yuh know I aim to please he;

You know?!?!”

 

“I know that only too good, Francine,

Yuh got a good man.

He is really look out fuh wunna

As best as he can.

 

Dat wun I got

Could tek a leaf from yours,

I seriously tinking bout

Gihing he a divorce.

 

He doan do nothing

And wun bring in a cent!

And de little that I bin saving up,

In it he put a dent.

 

 

He got an outside woman;

I tink she name Rum

But he gine bring he pigs to fine market

When all is said and done.”

 

“But how come, doah,

Last night did so cold?”

“Cold?  Whuh I din really find it so.

You and you lard-oil must be too ole.

 

Whuh else I cud tell yuh?

Whuh, I en know

And besides, when yuh getting ole,

Yuh is get kind o’ slow.”

 

 

“But look who talking!

Pot calling de kettle black.

I wun even tell you wuh I want to

Cause you only getting slack!

 

I kind o’ slow?

Woman, you fuh real?

Compare to my brightness

You jest pale!

 

Why you so though?

We’s be having a good chat

And then all of a sudden, out o’ de blues

You is say sumpting slack.

 

I kind o’ slow!

Wheh dat come from?

I en bin to secondary school

But I en dumb!

 

You only got a year pun me

Cause you en get past first form.

Girl, don’t start me up, yuh hear?

I only now getting warm.”

 

“Whuh, you cahn tek a joke?

I only mekking sport.

You know we is we,

We en got to go to no court.

 

Leh we change de subject

And guh to sumpting else

Like de other day I had to pay

For flying fish melts.

 

A time dey use to gih dem way

But I realize more and more

Fuh evah single ting

No yuh got to pay.”

 

 

“Yuh mekking muh laugh,

You must be Jackie Opel.

Wait, a hour gone a ready?

I sure I just hear de school bell.

 

I gine and check de pot,

George doan eat lumpy cou-cou,

He does just swallow,

He doan even chew.”

 

“I en even know whuh to cook

When I done wash.

All I got dey is some christophene

And some butter nut squash.”

 

Then you know whuh to cook

Cause yuh know whuh you got.

Tek whuh you tell me yuh got

And put in de pot.”

 

 

“I could do dat fuh trute,

Girl you real slick

And plus, christophene and squash

Would go good wid harslip.”

De devil is liar!

Which harslip you meaning?

You cahn mean none a George harslip

Dat I hey frying?”

 

“There you go again!

It is just a little joke.”

“No girlie, when it come to George food

I doan mek sport.

 

He is hard working man

And he strength does guh in he mout

And we did marry too long now

Fuh I leh he kick me out.

 

Dat is de second time,

I gine gih you one more

But the next time you mek sport at me,

I shutting my door.

 

Because my kitchen in de yard

And yours on pun you house,

Doan mek you a princess

And me a mouse.”

 

“Uh real sorry, Francine;

Uh was only trying a trick

To see if yuh would gih me a little bit

Of George harslip.”

 

“You bust luck, Gercine,

George like he sweet food

And it is de only ting that does fix he

If he come home in a fowl mood.”

 

 

“Well, gih he chicken, then,

Doan gih he harslip!

Yuh could save dat for tomorrow

But today gih me lil bit.

 

De woman slam she kitchen door

Right in my face.

She like she en frighten

It cud o’ fall out o’ place!

 

But dat is my fault doah

Cause she did warn me

And Francine is a serious woman;

Boy, she en easy.”

 

 

Thus end the conversation

Between Francine and Gercine,

Hopefully before Independence Day

There will be a next scene.

 

Stewart Russell © November 23, 2024

 

The Walls We Build

  

We spend much time building walls of hate and greed,

In no time relationships are severed with lightning speed!

These are the walls we build not low, but high;

Nothing good about our neighbor must ever catch the eye.

Construction is swift on walls of jealousy and envy,

Look at me as I build and tell me what you see.

I see a wall tall, great and strong, I cannot breach,

I see a soul in need, next to me, but yet out of reach.

Then there are the walls of un-forgiveness, what a sight!

Casting great shadows around thus blocking the light.

But we, refusing to yield even the slightest bit

Will carry this fight to our neighbor showing true grit.

I see a great wall only concerned with mine and me,

My sanctum sanctorum, there I alone can be free.

It blocks my view from anyone without,

I am simply concerned with just me without a doubt.

You complain and fret while bombarded with fear,

I am secure behind my wall why should I care?

Your problem’s your own, it’s none of my concern,

I couldn’t care whether you sink, crash or burn.

Why should I bother about what concerns me not?

Why should I care whether someone lives or rot?

Why should I take precious time and ponder your mess,

When my walls are secure and I am at rest?

If only you could be in my position what would you do?

About the plight of your neighbour tell me your view.

I am sure you would do just as I am doing now,

Beyond your wall you wouldn’t see anyone anyhow.

Are you aware of how I come by what I now possess?

Do you know of the sacrifice and many hours of stress?

I tell you, man, I struggled and fought to attain this crest

That bears testimony that I was intent on doing my best.

And now you want me to share as though it were a free for all

While you criticize me making your pious judgment call.

I am unmoved by your chat and your silly little game,

I shall endeavour to build my walls of security just the same.

  

There was only one Jesus and I know you know I am not he

Take up the Bible and read, it won’t take you long to see.

I do not intend to match his life for that’s sheer futility

And anyone who believes he can is displaying sheer stupidity.

Oh, the walls of excuses have been built so very tall,

That there’s almost no way to breach them at all, at all!

Remember, the walls we construct to shut out our neighbour

Are the walls that block the way that leads to the Saviour.

So let’s examine the walls we have tirelessly built to last,

The walls we construct to protect our endeavours of the past.

They will come to naught for only in Christ they can stand,

Nothing is forever, except that which is held by His hand.

Stewart Russell © 2011