The Merchant Handbook Poem by John Ackerman

When in Spring with leaves turned to green
Eyes, hands & face
There lived one man with a thirst
To live in the moment between space & time
Selling his pots and pans to get by
Although the years would pass he had every reason to grasp
The true message of his heart was found in a book

Inside was filled with a deep look on dreams
Dark conclaves of dungeons with kings & queens
Deep demonic screams
Cray's from out of the belly of Hell
What a strange way of a story to tell
Howls in the village square piercing shrieks
All found in this merchant's handbook

It will make you think perhaps take another look
One day the merchant was working
He lost his book when he wasn't looking
Inside he kept a hundred dollar bill for keep sake maybe for a cheap thrill
Now the book was gone and so went his mind
He once could see but now he's blind
The merchant was a very timid man very kind
But now the madness ensued he was in a heavy bind

A reward was posted at the local post office
Over the course of time he would find a knock on his front door
It was none other but a local minister
inviting the merchant to his home for dinner
The merchant agreed to go and at the end of their great feast
The minister confessed and admitted
For he was the one who had stolen his handbook
Was very tempted to draw insight for his sermons

For the merchants case instead of outrage he was left in a haze
When he came to his senses he forgave him
Taking the book back, to his surprise
there was thosand dollars inside
The seed he had planted a time ago grew
He didn't really know what to do
Had bitten far more then he could ever chew
Next thing you know the merchant made a personal donation
To take a break on a long awaited vacation
Then he wrote in his book to finish his story
His book finally of dreams was bound for glory