I’m quite entranced by the poetry of James Weldon Johnson who took the cadence of a preacher and wrote it into poetry that sings and preaches at the same time. What wise words for a foolish young man: “Your arm’s too short to box with God!”

The Prodigal Son
BY JAMES WELDON JOHNSON


Young man—
Young man—
Your arm’s too short to box with God.

But Jesus spake in a parable, and he said:
A certain man had two sons.
Jesus didn’t give this man a name,
But his name is God Almighty.
And Jesus didn’t call these sons by name,
But ev’ry young man,
Ev’rywhere,
Is one of these two sons.

And the younger son said to his father,
He said: Father, divide up the property,
And give me my portion now.


And the father with tears in his eyes said: Son,
Don’t leave your father’s house.
But the boy was stubborn in his head,
And haughty in his heart,
And he took his share of his father’s goods,
And went into a far-off country.

There comes a time,
There comes a time
When ev’ry young man looks out from his father’s house,
Longing for that far-off country.

And the young man journeyed on his way,
And he said to himself as he travelled along:
This sure is an easy road,
Nothing like the rough furrows behind my father’s plow.

Young man—
Young man—
Smooth and easy is the road
That leads to hell and destruction.
Down grade all the way,
The further you travel, the faster you go.
No need to trudge and sweat and toil,
Just slip and slide and slip and slide
Till you bang up against hell’s iron gate.

Read the rest of Mr. Johnson’s poem at Poetry Foundation.

The paintings are by Murillo; the first one is titled Departure of the Prodigal Son, and the second, Banquet of the Prodigal Son.

Lisa Chellman has the Poetry Friday round-up at Under the Covers.