Ambiguity of a Setup

 

Setup is a familiar word

To most of us

And of course, in different ways,

It could create a fuss.

 

Hence, the ambiguity

That I will write about,

I just hope when I am through

I don’t get put out.

 

In the doghouse, I mean,

You know the term:

Meaning a place where you get put

When you are too firm.

 

It could be a setup

If you see what I mean,

A trap you were not aware of:

A nightmare not a dream.

 

We both planned together

With a promise in mind

But the partner I am looking for,

I cannot find.

 

He’s gone with the cash

For the job we both did

And I can’t find him anywhere;

He’s gone off the grid.

 

The dog was friendly;

That’s what he told me,

Now, you can check my lower leg

And tell me what you see.

 

It was definitely a setup

And I fell for it,

If you take note of the trend

It has become a habit.

 

 

I have a good setup

You must come and see it,

I actually built it myself;

It is where I sit.

 

He is set up for life

Having won the Lotto,

And he gets calls from people

He does not even know.

 

 

He set up the circuitry

And timed every switch,

And it functioned the entire night

Without a glitch.

 

Hence, two setups

With different outcomes,

One negative, the other positive

Thus, either can be done.

 

Because of the ambiguity

It should be specified

That one can mirror the other

As in a disguise.

 

So, be on the lookout

For all future setups,

Be sure you are reading right,

Don’t be dumbstruck.

 

Stewart Russell © October 28, 2024

 

How to Win an Election

 

 

 

Here are my suggestions

Not in any order

But a campaigning journey

Along political corridors.

 

Now don’t get me wrong,

I’ve never campaigned

But based on outcomes I’ve seen

Here is the little I’ve gained.

 

Differentiate between

Illiterate and electorate,

They are not one and the same;

Please, no need to debate.

 

The electorate are eligible,

The illiterate too

But the former sees the vision

And the latter has a view.

 

Dwell not on the last verse

If it’s over your head,

Most things baffle me nowadays

Hence, I am on alert “red”.

 

Red flags go up daily,

Matters not who’s in charge

And a lot of political leaders

Are criminals at large.

 

Forget the previous verse

If it rubs you the hard way,

Let’s get back to the poem’s title

And let this hold sway.

 

Highlight the past record:

Successes and failures,

It is far better to be transparent

And show the full picture.

 

To vilify your opponent

Is to vilify yourself,

It is very likely that if you win

You will adopt his health.

 

It has happened before

And more often than not

That the one doing the vilifying

Ended up doing more rot.

 

Be honest, if possible,

In the things you promise,

It is better to say what can be done

Than an unrealistic list.

 

Focus on the real needs

And not on your opponent

And if you form the Government,

Genuinely repent.

 

Saying sorry is hard

Especially if you mean it

But today’s leaders are so perfect

Sorry is not their habit.

 

Genuinely trust in God

And show that you truly do,

And not merely as a convenience

But that He shapes your view.

 

“To God be the glory

Great things He has done!”

The words of the current PM

When in 2018 she won.

 

I trust she remembers

Though I have my doubts

But one thing is very clear to me,

One day she’ll be out.

 

The “how”, I do not know,

But nothing lasts forever

Hence, why the Holy Bible cautions

Be wary of earthly treasure.

 

Earthly treasure is sandy

And will easily wash away

So, build on the rock, Christ Jesus

Each and every day.

 

Let your good speak

Louder than your words,

I will remember what you did

Above what I have heard.

 

When you’ve done all this

Let the people decide

And if you lose, lose graciously

And by the result abide.

 

The best election “win”

Is when the country wins

But regarding this kind of result,

Our vision is fairly dim.

 

Short-sighted by selfishness

Is not worthy to lead,

A servant-leader, if you please,

Is what we really need.

 

Stewart Russell © October 28, 2024

 

Fate Is What It Is

 

 

“As fate would have it,”

I’ve often heard uttered

Or, “Don’t tempt fate,”

When daredevilry takes another.

 

As though fate is a spirit

Just hovering around

Waiting for some opportunity

To take someone down.

 

A certain resignation

To some predestined destiny

Like “Que sera-sera”

“What will be will be”.

 

Like fate is always bad

Though very often it is

Causing us more often than not

That bad to reminisce.

 

 

Fate is a timeline

On which there are events:

Some good and some bad

Whatever one’s intent.

 

Which suggests to me:

We can determine our fate

Depending on the lifestyle

That we choose to take.

 

Fate is an outcome

But based on the process too,

Fate is actions and outcomes

Aka the things we do.

 

While we live life forward

We analyze it from the back

And however brilliant our analysis

It’s after we’ve been trapped.

  

When it is the good fate

We make boastful claims,

But when it is ill fated

We apportion the blame.

 

 

But back to the timeline

And those inevitable events:

The good ones we plan for

And the bad ones we resent.

 

Some lives seem plagued

With an unfair share of the bad,

And these are oft inundated

With fate that makes one sad.

 

For many others, however,

The opposite holds true,

These enjoy the good life

Regardless of what they do.

 

Still there are others

That experience a balanced mix

As though already weighed out

And appropriately affixed.

 

For the most part, though,

Group 2 is the hapless one

Forced into resignation

As though all hope is gone.

 

People make their own fate

I have heard some tell

But some did the right things

And life was a living hell.

 

 

To me this is unexplainable

Though some try to explain,

Fate is what it is

Whether pleasure or pain.

    

It comprises every event

And will inevitably occur:

Some are good and some bad

But to the bad we mostly refer.

 

The behaviours we practise

Constitute these timeline events

As well as the outcomes

Whether or not our intent.

 

Fate is every action we take

As well as every outcome,

All registered on the timeline

Whether to come or already done.

 

Stewart Russell © June 2020

  

Quid Pro Quo

Quid pro quo

Hasn’t that always been the case?

Quid pro quo

Something for something in its place?

But it seems to be something else

As far as I can see,

Some are citing extortion

Others are claiming bribery.

From time immemorial

Quid pro quo was a practice

In the farming fields

As well as in the office.

I will spare you the details

Some are somewhat odiferous

But taken to a different level

Others are quite adventurous.

Quid pro quo was bartering

Your potatoes for my yams,

That was a legal contractual exchange

Between two neighboring farms.

Quid pro quo at another level

Could be a favor for protection,

Hence, if you grant me my wish

I will guarantee your satisfaction.

Scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours

Was always the way to go,

A promise based on a promise

Is my understanding of quid pro quo.

Politicians do it when campaigning

Though they seldom deliver,

And people are being fooled every day

By conmen who are more clever.

All of life is quid pro quo

It is written and verbal contracts,

If I give you something you want

I expect to get something back.

It has to do with outcomes

It is why we study and work,

It is why we choose a certain job

To get our salaries plus perks.

There was quid pro quo in Eden

Though Adam lost house and land,

The promisor there was the devil

And he was the world’s first conman.

Note I have said nothing about Trump

Congress will decide on that,

I am too far away to call that one

But we could always have a chat.

Suffice it to say as I have said,

Quid pro quo was always around,

There’s nothing inherently bad about it

But it can be used for wrong.

It’s like the hammer, the saw, and rope

Nothing is wrong with them

But in the hands of an imbecile

I am sure you see the problem.

Stewart Russell © November 2019

What Kind of Faith?

A faith dependent on outcomes

Is fraught with trouble,

Sooner or later it will fail

And there goes your bubble.

You will pray for an outcome

That will not materialize

Then you will get to notice

What you had not realize.

It takes just a few occasions

When such faith doesn’t work,

The anticipated outcome didn’t happen

And the petitioner became hurt.

Strong delusion can set in,

Perhaps there was not enough prayer

So a more fervent prayer response

Should correct this affair.

Or maybe just maybe

More faith is needed for that demand

So we launch out our faith

And move forward with our plan.

And since faith without works is dead

We can settle in our mind

That our works will move God’s hand

It is just a matter of time.

Is your faith dependent on outcomes?

What do you do when it fails?

Do you pray a little harder?

Do you feel that more prayer avails?

And what has been your experience

When the extended prayer was done?

Did you find that the longer prayer

Had brought the desired outcome?

Is your faith the intellectual kind?

“O, I believe in God most of the time…

Whenever He comes through for me

It’s like I am out of my mind.”

  

Or is your faith the trusting kind?

“O, I trust God whatever the outcome…

Whether He takes me through or takes me out

I know that with God I have already won.”

The Christian faith is not about outcomes

Rather such faith is more about outlook,

It is not validated by a miracle

But by what God says in His Holy book.

For whether we live or whether we die

In whatever state we are the Lords

And so the outcome ultimately matters not

Once we are trusting in his word.

A functional faith is what we need,

A faith that is evident every day,

Not a special moment faith as a need arise

But a faith that dictates in all we do and say.

An implicit faith like that of a child

That completely trusts its dad and mum

Recognizing its needs are met by these two

Whatever the nature of the outcome.

For if our fathers being earthly

Know how to meet our daily needs,

Then how much more so our heavenly Father

Will take good care of His spiritual seed

An implicit faith, a trusting faith,

A faith not validated by the outcome,

A faith that mirrors a positive outlook

Even when there is no more that can be done.

A faith whose object is the Lord

That renders distractions just what they are

That sees through the fake and transient

And views the fraudulent from afar.

A saving faith and a living faith,

A faith that sees beyond this sphere,

A faith that focuses on heavenly things

A faith that looks for the Lord to appear.

Stewart Russell © 2017