Gary Mitchell and Amos
Editor’s note: Amos is a church mouse, unable to use the keyboard shift keys and unschooled in the art of punctuation.
boss a strange dream
overtook me last night
i still don t know what
to make of it
in my dream i woke up
and wandered out of my
mouse hole in the corner
of the church choir room
and instead of going
outside i went down a
long dark tunnel that
emptied out into a
brightly lit barn whose
floor was covered with
fresh hay
right in the middle of
the barn floor were
three small teddy bears
one had a scar across
his heart one was
wrinkled and worn
and the third looked
sad and forlorn
it was a pitiful sight boss
then i heard a booming
but gentle voice rumble
through the rafters and
it said – listen and learn
my son
i mumbled something
like – ok lord – and
watched to see what
would happen next
a little green lizard
named elijah crawled
in under the barn door
boss he didn t look
very friendly so i backed
out of the way
elijah swaggered up
to the first teddy
bear with the scarred
heart and said –
here is a word from
the lord for those wounded
by words – thou shalt
keep them secretly
in a pavilion from the
strife of tongues – so says
psalms thirty-one twenty
furthermore elijah the
lizard said – the lord says –
i will hide you in the
secret of my presence
from the pride of men
i will keep you secretly
in my pavilion from the
strife of tongues
you have been criticized
and the criticism has
hurt you
you have been condemned
and the condemnation has
wounded you
others have questioned
your motives suspected
your intentions found fault
with your actions
but i say to you – i have a
hiding place for you and i
have promised to hide you
in the secret place of my
presence i have a place
of nearness to my own
heart where you will be
out of reach from the
enemy s assaults
i have a pavilion where i
can keep you from the
strife of tongues
there are those who
would lash at you with
their words
but i will touch your
heart with my hands i
will give you an immunity
to criticism
no weapon that is formed
against you shall prosper
this is your heritage from
me your righteousness is
of me no man can set upon
you to hurt you
i the lord have given you an
immunity even from the strife
of tongues
job five twenty-one says –
thou shalt be hid from the
scourge of tongues
amos
p s – the teddy bear dream
will continue next time boss
