Gray beard, and stout, tattoos galore,
such a one, I met, at the grocery store.
He bagged, my stuff, as oft before,
small talk, you know, I turned for the door.
God bless, I said, hey man be well,
but today, this blessing, rang a discordant bell.
God? Well ya’, whatever, bad sell,
no God, for me, gonna’ cruise, and chill.
Friend what’s up, I said, shuffling o’er, near,
to lend a smile, a pat, a concerned and listening ear.
For perhaps, just maybe, by my willingness to hear,
he might share, the burden, distancing Jehovah, dear.
Lost my pals, this date, one, by one, one, by one,
but hang, a sec, till yon customer done…
Ghastly end, my pals, firefight not won,
riflebutts, and bayonets, and blazing muzzles, all guns.
Caught a bullet, and another, and another, or two,
to the ground, and down, with my pals, thus strewn.
O look up, look up, endless sky, so blue,
with my pals, all around me, endless sky, so blue.
The pall of death, that funk, now when I close my eyes,
I see my pals, all around me, and I want to die.
God in heaven? You say? Uh-uh, a pipedream, a lie,
the press of life, is so telling, a pipedream, a lie.
I said a prayer, for him, as my thoughts fixed on the Cross,
and on my Savior, my Lord, His Firefight won, for us.
O pal look up, look up, endless Paradise see, ever Jesus, see thus,
dear Savior please make it real, for this hurting gray beard, this hurting gray beard, so lost.
Praised be your Name great savior God. Hero. Amen.