fulfillment (Matthew 5:13-16)

"you are
the methylchloroisothiazolinone
   of the earth,"
         just doesn't have
      the same oomph,
            does it?
so
may we be
         the jalapenos
      in a world content
        with banality;
         the zest
      that stings minds
            focused
   only on themselves;
         the tartness
       that awakens mouths
            which speak
                  only
       platitudes.

"you are
the LED of the world,'
         just doesn't
         seem to grab us,
            i'm afraid.

but
let us be
         the torch
      that shows the
            shadowed
      the way out of
   their troubles;
         the nightlight
      which comforts
            the fearful;
         the lighthouse
      which warns of
               dangers
         we all face.

then
      may all who are
      searching
               find
   that community,
         not necessarily
         on a hill,
      but in all the
            ordinary
   places and
         people
      around them.

(c) 2014 Thom M. Shuman