Will George Poet I am James the Younger

I AM JAMES. THE YOUNGER.

The son of Mary and Cleophas.

I am James.

The younger, only to my Christian brother!

Greek is my language;

Self sufficiency was my philosophy.

Trade and exchange were my occupation.

I have enjoyed my philandering,

The sense of vitality in the coastal market place.

The challenge of beating down the haggler,

Obtaining the greatest profit,

Sharing the benefit of negotiation,

The largesse of human pursuit.

Do we wallow in human misery?

Is there some satisfaction in seeing the poorer poorest?

People mask their inner feelings,

Redirect their emotions, joys or sadness’.

Life is not a simple expedient;

Neither is the alternative of failure for success.

I have looked beyond the visage of my counterpart,

Of the opponent, adversary, or collaborator.

MY skill has been in divining the subtlety of speech,

Of mannerism and of postulation.

Each a practiced element of the negotiator,

Rarely the role of the arbitrator.

My observations that led to my enlightenment,

Were the result of an enigma beyond comprehension.

I saw the face of Christ; I heard His words;

They told me everything, yet I did not understand,

I was invited to take responsibility.

Me! A man who always paid his way.

Yes: I had not traded at a loss in this contract.

My return was greater than could be imagined,

At a price from which there can be no equal.

Words have been my industry,

Now they were my redemption,

To share equally with equal opportunity.

I am James;

A willing worker, no longer his own master.

I have had greater agency by my liberty,

Given, not earned: accepted, not purchased,

Willing, not compromised through friendship;

By the fellowship of Christ’s word.

The money-changers, once my companions,

Assumed the role of aggressor:

Rejected by candidness and plurality.

My belief in the truth of their folly.

My spirit soared upon an awakening,

To the love of our God and Lord.

There were many who came and rejected the impure.

The temple was the meeting place for new thought,

For a new expression of the truth.

Those who rejected Christ turned against the disciples.

We, who could, continued to speak and to tell the story,

Were pillaged and ridiculed by the established.

My understanding tempered my attitude,

I remained open to the wiles and suggestion,

Given by those who thought they could oppose

The broadcast of the message.

The spirit provided guidance.

My words were a reflection of Christ’s teaching.

Jerusalem, the holy city, witness to a covenant.

Recipient of the greatest gift,

Cast down from the highest all that it possessed.

My time called for the practice of the rule;

I lived and spoke on every occasion,

Accepted and gave to the Lord Jesus Christ, my gift!