Third Thursday of Advent

Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement; when the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter"; therefore thus says the Lord God, See, I am laying in Zion a foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: "One who trusts will not panic." And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter. Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; (Isaiah 28:14-18b)

    trustee

sitting in the
office,
having read all
the fine print and translated
the legalese,
we are prepared to hand
over the check
to guarantee a plot
in the Pit,
when you stick your
head in the door,
saying, 'put that away; I've
got a place for you,
closer to me.'

when death shows up,
contract in hand,
ready to enforce all those
stipulations
we agreed to
so long ago,
you pull up, jump out
of the car,
run up the sidewalk,
and hand Grim
a document, telling him,
'I'm invoking the 3-day
notification clause;
my covenant
supersedes any
and all deals
previously agreed to.'

then,
slamming the door
in his face
you turn to us,
asking,
'are those sugar cookies
I smell baking?'

© 2012 Thom M. Shuman