in a world of 'power lunches',
you pull out a chair
at your table,
for the prostitute
who is by herself;

in a culture of restaurants
that are the places to be 'seen',
you show us the empty stool
at the lunch counter
where the blue collar workers gather;

in a society that values
networking and connections,
you go looking for those
who have been discarded
by the rest of us.

When we are tempted sit
with the powerful,
the wealthy,
the influential:
remind us,
Inclusive God,
who you hang out with.
Amen.

(c) 2005 Thom M. Shuman