[Marlo]
Johnathan invited William and Kevin to his study.
while others were free to seek havens for reflection
[Johnathan]
I have known about William’s work
on your behalf to telegraph a clear message
to disparage institutional transgressions
around personal freedoms and self defense.
He and I and others associate around a common world view
that skews our actions toward a common purpose
to aid all equally to live substantially well
in a world populated by predators and prey.
You’re acquainted with Compton I believe?
[Kevin]
His prime influence on me
is through William and Donald
though I’ve heard him speak
a few times at gatherings
of souls fathoming
the ring of truths not yet seen
to preen the world of folly.
[Johnathan]
I sense you have some issues
about what Compton pursues.
[Kevin]
Bill, you’re the one who bartered
the encounter for we, three.
A hunting weekend
with Donald for spring turkeys,
for hearty stews stored
to outscore cold winter blues
formed from snow storms and whiteouts
that take out weak trees
and barricade roadways, played
well into your plans
that helped me to stand against
Twisting’s blistering outrage.
Bill, did Compton move
you to improve my living
through my connection
with Donald’s grand expertise
to expand my skill and ease
with modern weapons
and well conceived strategies
for better defense
against would be aggressors
who enjoy their behavior?
[William]
He said you might enjoy his company.
Doesn’t seem like a catastrophe to me
that we had an especially good weekend
where you gained a new friend.
There was no rule that you had to fuel
a relationship with Donald.
What’s the problem?
[Kevin]
Bedlam and mayhem
crowned our relationship.
[Johnathan]
You need to see this for what it is,
Nothing more, nothing less.
Your relationship with Donald
didn’t create this mess.
You chose Bree to see if she
would truly love you.
You chose Donald, now an old friend,
for male companionship.
Do you now wish to quit such friendships?
[Kevin]
No. I do not know
what relationships to grow
anymore, for sure !
[William]
Do you want to see Bree again?
[Kevin]
Yes.
[Johnathan]
Then invest in the quest to evolve
from issues unresolved
from events surrounding previous contentment
shattered by ignorant resentment.
I have a gift for you,
but if you choose to accept
you’ll need to embrace
honest reflection and chase
down the real impetus
for donning your frown.
[Marlo]
If a picture is worth a thousand words
I offer this image of the gift that seeks to shift
a troubled soul from the flesh-shaking cold
of a sunless darkness self-imposed
by souls obsessed with death.
There is an interim silence
as Kevin considers the pertinence
of such a gift offered in such a way
that persuades the recipient to consider
the ramifications of acceptance
that might alter his views.
With purposeful intent
Kevin is content to flip the coin
repeatedly front to back and back again
to gain understanding
while remembering
the evening’s exchanges.
[Kevin]
Is this Compton’s coin
that conjoins my path to his
to be his puppet?
[William]
This isn’t about Compton.
It’s about a belief system welcomed,
which some wish never to abandon,
about events that seem random
but have precipitating events
creating the present we celebrate or lament.
[Johnathan]
This coin is one of three
which was given to me for free.
Impossible to buy
no matter how I tried,
this one would come
only as a gift
from someone
in possession
of It.
Be impeccably honest,
which concepts do you reject?
Are there any here you accept
as worthy enough to embrace
as a strong philosophical base
upon which to build a code
depicting fertile ingredients
for a robust common ground
for a sound societal bond
beneficial to all,
equably?
[Kevin]
To aspire to these five
qualities-of-being rings
true to my belief
that our species needs relief
from cheats and deceits,
from power grabbing persons
wanting more to grow egos
and luxurious
shows of pomp and circumstance
to gain admittance
into the oligarchy’s
class of the privileged few
who secretly rue
to be completely unknown
and ordinary.
[Marlo]
Johnathan has retrieved
the following chart conceived
to summarize prized
concepts outlining the view
to pursue the procurement
of enlightenment
embraced through human actions
in daily routines.
[Johnathan]
Equality seems to be an issue with you.
William told me about the quality
you emphatically applied consistently during T-ball.
Tied games with high scores bored parents
inflaming their resentment of your sentiment
for having fun over conquest for winners
showcasing their best
evoking sullenness in losers.
[Kevin]
There’s more to this chart
than revealed by this fine coin’s
start to mount the stairs.
It’s fair to say that these words
convey delayed clarity.
[William]
This chart marks the mental gear
to steer a course toward the resource
necessary for harmony and tranquility.
Lessons learned to earn this prize
are not surmised cognitively.
They require the totality of one’s consciousness
to assess the steps to accept the truth.
Joe’s Honor Coin of Reciprocity
is the first step to accept this quest.
[Johnathan]
As one man, Compton
is not the command we follow
and you, Kevin, must choose:
Are we honest fellows or do we deceive?
To perceive the truth
you cannot leave our friendship
until you discern and determine
that we are less than honest.
[William]
An honest man beats naïveté easily
when truth seeps through new knowledge gained
that sways lasting change to rearrange perspectives.
The dishonest man ignores truth to deceive.
He receives no benefit from clarity of facts
that he attacks to bolster his lying rants
which refuse to recant his unproven speculations
to supplant clarity with fabrications.
Please judge us by our words and acts
that compact over time required to assess
our internal consistency as a mark of authenticity.
If you and I and Johnathan
honestly seek what is true
then we can’t fight over insights,
rather we cite our understanding
as a rambling course for handling
diverse possibilities to remedy uncertainty.
Kevin, we value your living journey
as worthy reality to infuse our own mentality
with unique perceptions and interpretations
which challenge, reinforce and augment
our own complement of similar and unique experience
of seeking meaningful relevance of our own events.