Point of View by Shel Silverstein

Point of View

Thanksgiving dinner's sad and thankless
Christmas dinner's dark and blue
When you stop and try to see it
From the turkey's point of view.

Sunday dinner isn't sunny
Easter feasts are just bad luck
When you see it from the viewpoint
Of a chicken or a duck.
Oh how I once loved tuna salad
Pork and lobsters, lamb chops too
'Til I stopped and looked at dinner
From the dinner's point of view.

-- Shel Silverstein

Job

I used to have a job, but now I’m unemployed,
I go home and sob, feel my life is destroyed,
Its partly my fault, I fell out with my boss,
I queried my contract, but they don’t give a toss,

I decided to myself, into books I would immerse,
In search of wisdom, or a humorous verse,
To elevate, distract, guide or direct
Hoping I might, my career resurrect,

I thought of suing my employer for libel
But then I started to read the Bible
And there it said to be of good cheer,
Worry not and have no fear,

Love your enemies, love your neighbour,
Live and eat on the fruit of your labour,
Don’t go and try and earn a quick buck,
And prosper by putting others down on their luck,

Then I came across the story of Job
He was Blameless, Upright, and not short of a few bob,
 feared God, shunned evil, then went through hell,
at forty two chapters it’s a long story to tell,

but the long and short is when you fall into trouble,
keep faith, persevere, God may reward you with double

So in search for wisdom, the path became clear
Love your enemies, hold your neighbours dear
And when you say sorry, be sincere
And be filled with love, not driven by fear
Like Jonah, who rebellious, turned the other way,
God’s will for your life may be for another day.

© Daniel Rodger 2014

Crutch

Crutch

You say I'm out of touch,
That religion is a crutch,
And the scripture double dutch,

But what about your smoking,
The crude ungodly joking,
The fires you are stoking,

What about your drinking,
That stops the brain from thinking,
And leaves you with a stinking,

And what about the drugs,
That substitute for hugs,
And turn us into slugs,

I think they're both a crutch,
You may think I am a clown
I think your crutch will bring you down

Your crutch consumes your wealth,
And by slow insidious stealth
Over time will take your health,

While my crutch offers life,
Teaches how to handle strife,
And what to look for in a wife,

So you can keep your crutch,
And to my crutch I shall clutch,
Thank you very much.

(c) Dan Rodger 2017

Brexit

(to be sung to the tune of 'Hello Goodbye" by the Beatles)

You say "stay", I say "go"
You say "in", I say, "no, no, no",
Ohhhhhh, no!
You say "remain", I say "let's go"
Let's go, let's go,
I don't know why you say "remain", I say "let's go"
Let's go, let's go,
I don't know why you say "remain", I say "let's go"

You say "in", I say "out"
And I say 'what the heck is this about"
Ohhhhh, yeah,
"In" or "out", but what is it about
What's it about,
Some say "in" and some say "out" and both sides shout
What's it about,
It's true I've cast my vote but now I'm full of doubt.

Some say "remain", some say "leave"
Either way to my faith I shall cleave,
Oooh, yes,
Whether 'in' or 'out', I will not grieve,
Am I naïve?
Whether in or out, I'll cry not in my sleeve,

God bless the 'ins' and God bless the 'outs',
And now I am off to eat my Brussel sprouts.

Holy Smoke

I used to think it was cool to smoke,

What a joke!

When offered a fag,

Don’t take a drag,

It will make you ill,

And it isn’t God’s will.

It will leave you diseased,

And your parent’s displeased.

The person who smokes

You think ‘what a fine fellow!’

But then notice his fingers,

Teeth, tongue are all yellow.

How is it cool

 To be a fool?

To part with your cash

In exchange for a mouthful of ash

I found a way to escape this dragon’s lair

To solicit God’s help in silent prayer.

© Daniel Rodger 2013

Job

Job

 

I used to have a job, but now I’m unemployed,

I go home and sob, feel my life is destroyed,

Its partly my fault, I fell out with my boss,

I queried my contract, but they don’t give a toss,

 

I decided to myself, into books I would immerse,

In search of wisdom, or a humorous verse,

To elevate, distract, guide or direct

Hoping I might, my career resurrect,

 

I thought of suing my employer for libel

But then I started to read the Bible

And there it said to be of good cheer,

Worry not and have no fear,

 

Love your enemies, love your neighbour,

Live and eat on the fruit of your labour,

Don’t go and try and earn a quick buck,

And prosper by putting others down on their luck,

 

Then I came across the story of Job

He was Blameless, Upright, and not short of a few bob,

 feared God, shunned evil, then went through hell,

at forty two chapters it’s a long story to tell,

 

but the long and short is when you fall into trouble,

keep faith, persevere, God may reward you with double

 

So in search for wisdom, the path became clear

Love your enemies, hold your neighbours dear

And when you say sorry, be sincere

And be filled with love, not driven by fear

Like Jonah, who rebellious, turned the other way,

God’s will for your life may be for another day.

 

© Daniel Rodger 2014