Precious Souls

Jonah wanted justice:
He sought fury from God’s fists.
The destruction of his foes
Was this prophet’s greatest wish.

His message was repentance,
Yet, his heart was set against
His enemies in that great town-
“Let them become past tense”

At the preaching of the prophet,
The people there all saw fit
To grieve, and mourn, and fast-
For God’s anger just might pass.

Though they deserved to die,
Mercy flowed down as they cried.
But Jonah was distraught
Because justice is what he sought.

So, the prophet grew depressed
And to the Lord confessed
That this is why he fled:
This result is what he’d guessed.

Then on a hill outside the town
He sat his sad self down
And glared at God and waited there
With his face in a frown.

The sun beat down on Jonah’s head
Until he wished that he was dead.
The tables had been turned,
But his lesson wasn’t learned.

Up grew a plant with a big leaf
To give poor Jonah some relief,
But then the shrubbery died.
And this time Jonah cried.

So God took the sad man aside
And explained his mercy, wide:
“You cared so much about a plant you didn’t even grow,
Is it then wrong for me to care about these precious souls?”

-Wills Osborn (8/6/20)

This poem is based on the book of Jonah, found in the Bible.