The Shepherd’s Call

There is an unspoken battle,
A war within the world –
Whether to be human, and man enough,
To look after the lost one and the lamb –
Or abandon them to the wind and the wolves,
And pretend we do not know.

There are thoughts that go beyond words,
Things that are real even so.
It is not right to give the lost ones’ bread to the wolf,
And deny them even the crumbs –
To hear not the voices in the wilderness crying out,
As if deaf to the cries of the damned.

By their fruits ye shall know them,
Whether they be thistle or thorn –
Whether they defend the innocent,
What comfort to those who mourn.
Will you give ear to the truth,
Will you have eyes to see?

Will you be kind to the lost ones,
Will you look out for the lambs?
Will you remember your countryman, right or wrong –
Whose fathers yours fought and bled beside,
And called fellow, neighbour, friend –
Or will you say, “I do not know the man”?

The Wolves, they stand in parliaments, descending on the fold –
In lambskin loafers, stolen purple, and looted gold –
Those who would rule the world, as they hammer it into shape.
Oh pity the soul who does not fit their designs –
Men, human beings, not made to break or fall into line.
I am thy fellow – art thou mine?

Choose this day, in the Unspoken War,
Of which you may never have heard,
Whether you stand up for your neighbour,
Whether you keep your fathers’ word –
In the name of He who looks out for the lost ones,
He Who Looks After the Lambs.