THE REBEL
I’ve always been
a rebel.
In the past it hadn’t shown.
I haven’t always looked this way,
so folks had never known.
I use to have a short
hair cut,
and a cleanly shaven face.
My clothes were all the latest style
and I always knew my place.
But now my hair goes
down my back.
My clothes are not the best.
They keep me warm and covered,
but the hell with all the rest.
I look at styles and
fashion
like a dog looks at a cat.
The latest and the greatest
are not exactly where I’m at.
My face is lean and weathered
no longer innocent.
with hair that covers some of it,
its color all but spent.
I get much more respect
now
than I ever did before.
People walk around me
and jump back to hold the door.
The looks I get from
most folks
are not one’s I’m accustom to.
I now know how the baboons feel
that live down at the zoo.
But heck, I kind of like
it.
I stand out in a crowd.
The curious and meek ones
make me feel real proud.
The rich spend all their
thousands
to accentuate themselves
and make the rest take notice
that they are not the elves.
While I spend less and
do less
to get the same effect.
But I know there is a difference,
and I’m much more circumspect.
The true measure of the
person
is not based in his look.
It’s based on acts and deeds he does.
A pastor or a crook?
So when you see us coming
as though life you pass us by,
remember to be more circumspect.
Please smile -- and then say “Hi.”
11/22/96
It's amazing how growing a beard and long hair can change your life.