Sunday Sabbath Poetry: Woody Guthrie

Christ For President

By Woody Guthrie

Let's have Christ our President
Let us have him for our king
Cast your vote for the Carpenter
That they call the Nazarene

The only way we could ever beat
These crooked politician men
Is to cast the moneychangers out of the temple
Put the Carpenter in

Oh it's Jesus Christ our President
God above our king
With a job and pension for young and old
We will make hallelujah ring

Every year we waste enough
To feed the ones who starve
We build our civilization up
And we shoot it down with wars

But with the Carpenter on the seat
Way up in the capitol town
The USA be on the way
Prosperity bound

- - - - - - -

Free Market Competition

Jesus said the poor are blessed
And to me, he said No
But I am not one to be refused
And No must be Yes, for
Jesus is a nice enough guy, yes?
I make his No a Yes and walk along,
Make his cry a whimper, stride untouched
Sing and punch my ticket with marked,
Corporate faithfulness

Knowing this will not be forgotten.

I climb the ecclesial ladder, the
Oldest ladder known, the sparkling steps
Of heavenly ambition

Hedonist that I am, literal and realistic
Jesus says Jump! and I measure the cost
In spreadsheets – yes, yes, worth it it is –
And I hope or skip or even jog
(My how he tests me with these games!)

Knowing this will not be forgotten.
Someone, somewhere, watching.

Making notes on a clipboard, scribbles
Of performance and potential, my ratios
Of blessing and curse, managerial
Upheaval coming down the line
Oh, how these opportunities do
Arrive so fortuitously – God, sovereign and
Almighty, has me in mind for promotion

Yes, this jumping hoops and spinning plates
Looks to be paying off, the scales tipping
In my favor as he’s always foreordained

Knowing this will not be forgotten.
Somebody paying attention.

I will be there to collect the prize.