Thank You (I Never Lost My Way) Poem by Maurice Harris

There are so many that are deserving of obligation,
Many contributed duly and their active participation
Was instrumental then and continues to offer fortitude,
And the least a thankful man may do is show his gratitude.
Foremost, the one termed the Wicked Witch of the Northeast-
Though intuitively, one would think she would deserve the least.
Thank you for lying, cheating, stealing and other dastardly deeds-
All the hatred once stubbornly held for you, now reluctantly cedes
To an understanding that you actually could not have been more giving;
In spite of all your thievery and deceit, it yielded a heart more forgiving-
Though this is not to say that what you did will ever be forgotten.
Your words and actions, so malicious, deceitful, and wanton,
Was the very genesis of strength not otherwise begotten;
Your fruit shall bear out as your heart, pungently rotten!
Next to thank, the system they call simply jurisprudence;
Your callous indifference has borne the fruit of ambivalence,
For an institution that stands only upon the shoulders of giants,
Like The Constitution and Service, yet acts in total defiance
Thereof—with an agenda all its own, not blind and just.
As a people, we are given ‘Law and Order'—well-defined, and trust
That it shall ‘protect and serve' us, not stab us in the back, like a coward;
Your cowardice has not weakened, it has emboldened and empowered.
Never doubt the fortitude of a resolute man, woefully scorned-
So, thank you for your failings, eyes were opened and much was learned.
Friends who chose to believe the biggest of lies are next on the list;
Their narrow minds allowed them to accept what they should have dismissed
Wholly and completely on its face, yet their internal hysteria caused them to believe.
Trust, but verify; if verification is wanting, then no longer should one conceive.
You were not true and thus are not welcome "here" any longer,
Long ago, ‘adieus' were bid, as this heart grew ever stronger.
Lastly, any family who chose to side with the predator and not the prey,
How dare you further sully and impugn a reputable character, is all there is to say.
Of course, the preceding was facetious to say the least and at the most, was sarcastic;
The fallout from this cataclysm was, to be sure, quite severe, but never rose to drastic,
Due the love and support of those who never wavered or waned, for it is they
Who never lost faith and helped to ensure that it was I, who never lost my way.

- Maurice Harris,11/10/2014