His Greatest Seal: Poems by the Rev. Francis Quintin-Arthur

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The Good and the Bad People Inheriting This Planet

Friends and Enemies
Composure
Kind People
Lover v. Lover
Lovers’ Quarrel
The Wicked

Friends and Enemies

To deal with an enemy
Is so very easy
Because you know for sure
He’s armed to the teeth.
You dare not cross his path
Without a well-thought-out scheme.
You must be on your guard
Whenever he’s around.

You should not care at all
In the presence of a friend.
What need you fear?
So you let down your guard,
’Cause of your trust in him.

That’s why when he does strike
It hurts deepest of all
Because you were never on your guard.

Composure

Why are some people wicked?
Lord, your people may surprise you
They don’t care how much you hurt
They would hurt you more anyway
And it seems the more happy you are
The more unhappy they become
For they would like to see you
In the same boat with them
When you are strong
They appear to be weak
Yes, Lord, they wish to be strong
But want to gain this strength
By ensuring that you are weaker
Or at least as miserable as they are
They would like to hear you complain
Just as much as they complain
And if you don’t give in to their demand
They concoct all sorts of wicked ways
To try to pull you down to their level
I don’t mind if they draw from my strength
So that we all try to travel on your path, Lord
But, Lord, they’d rather see you succumb to them
Why should they take away my strength
To feed their miserable egos?
It was not easy for me to get to this stage
It came through trials and tribulations
It came from bearing my heavy cross
As best I could
And it was you, Lord, who helped me through
And I’d better hold on to it tightly
For that is my only peace of mind
That is my Christian dignity

Lord, when these trying times arrive
Please do remind me
To remain ever strong in you
And to be committed to your love
To be strong even as you were
As you went through your own trials and tribulations
To be patient as you were
When you were scorned
And endured much more than I can bear

Gift me with forbearance
That when others hurt me in this way and other ways
I may be able to forgive
Just as you readily forgave
The thief on the cross

To be composed and remitting
This is what I ask of you, dear Lord
That I would be ever close to you

Kind People

Thank you for kind Santa Clauses
The Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clauses of our life
At times we don’t know where they appear from
In the form of gifts, and the very best of friends
Those known to us and those unknown to us
All who pray for us and ours
When things are so hard for us to bear
We find many gifts in various ways
Things we even do not seem to deserve
They make us feel so much ashamed
Of the days we doubt a little bit in you
When all things went the other way
But through the Santa Clauses in our days
You give us various kinds of love
Their gifts of friendship plus a whole lot more
Lord, we thank you very kindly for the Santa Clauses

Lover v. Lover

Lovers wage war
With deadly guns of lovely make
Devastating when they shoot
Shooting words with such striking force
They cannot miss the targeted mark
For they know just where to strike
The bullets touch deeply home
But drink not of anyone’s blood
And the bullet may be removed
When one gives a forgiving smile

Their case cannot survive in courts
It’s always a very foolish case
For they speak what they did not intend
So they doctor their own crimes of love
With make-up peaceful hugs and smiles
With promises not to wage war again

Lovers’ Quarrel

People who really do care for each other
Fight with those instruments of words
That strike home sharp and deep
For they know exactly what to say
And they know just what to do
Since they know each other so well

Behind those hurting words
Of the denial of their love—
Which love they did profess
From the bottoms of their hearts
A few minutes ago
Before the fierce word-battle set in—
Lies a deep-seated true love
Neither of them would deny
If they want to be sincere
Or when the sweet truce is called
With hugs of love and peace

The Wicked

Some people,
Who care not what they do to others
But who themselves deeply hurt
When one does the same to them—
Lord, change their stony hearts.
But should they refuse
Even your divine voice to heed,
Lord, let them learn the hard way.
Let them cohabitate
Away from those who try to do your will
And are thus persecuted.
Lord, gather all these wicked ones
And reveal your word to them again.
But should they still be stone-hearted,
Let them live together
To drive each other crazy,
But away from the just,
In hell on earth
Until they learn to heed your voice.

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