The young man of great wealth

I did everything he asked of me.
Modest in all my dealings,
I killed no-one
slept with no man’s wife,
spoke truth and thought on heaven.

Then he said
“Sell everything you have
and give it to the poor.”

A blow across the face
could not have hurt me more.
My life of cautious virtue sacrificed ?
It would be self-murder.

I turned my back on him.

Years later, comfortless,
my good deeds sour on my tongue,
I sold up
did as he had asked
and went in search of him.

I found nothing but a tomb
and women weeping

2 thoughts on “The young man of great wealth”

1. however his message lived on 🙂 that is the hardest thing to do: give up one’s wealth, to make oneself vulnerable especially in one’s senior years ; you’ve expressed this powerfully: ‘a blow across the face/ could not have hurt me more’ ; I’ve been in this situation; I can relate —

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2. ❤ We were just discussing this story. What a powerful telling and imagining of its future repercussions.

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