September 10th

“If I have withheld anything that the poor desired, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,” Job 31:16

i never realized it
came from old Job:
that apology we hear
all too often in our times—
“if I have yada yada yada”
in which the speaker makes clear
if there was any offense
or hurt, it was due to
the attitude of the injured,
not the speaker.
the hungry aren’t asking
for a banquet, just a
decent meal,
the widow simply wants us
to see the emptiness
of her life,
the forgotten would like us
to realize they have a name
which is not ‘get lost.’
in truth, others don’t want
some sort of
one-size-fits-all apology,
but people who are
as honest as Job in confronting
our failures in treating others
as we demand to be treated.

© 2026 Thom M. Shuman

Venmo: @ThomShuman