The World As It Is (An Advent Poem)

The World As It Is
(An Advent Poem)

I take the world as it is and still believe
Debauched and beautiful, sordid and seemly
Where Kerouac is a secular saint
Heard uncensored telling his story
On the road with Dean Moriarty
In the long run Merton took a better turn
But still the beat goes on…
Take your stand on whatever smidgen of faith you have
Smack-dab in a world of hustlers and hookers, users and losers, liars and lovers
Don’t waste your life on a pastel watercolor faith
That runs if touched by a tear or a drop of sweat
Can you take the world as it is
And still believe in God?
Can you take people as they are
And still believe in love?
Or do you only play at make believe?
A world of terracotta saints
Of little houses on soundstage prairies
So not at home in the world as it is
That you can’t wait for it to be left behind
That, my friend, is no real faith
It’s scripted B-movie phoniness
Rated G (for gullible audiences)
A real faith lives in a real world
The world as it is
Sordid and seemly
Debauched and beautiful
It’s the little town of Bethlehem
Good enough for the Son of God

BZ

(The artwork is Kitchenette by Bob Dylan.)