Fair Words on the Air

Meaning in Psalm 12

Alfred D. Byrd

SOMETIMES, watching the news, we may say,
"Our God, have You let all goodness vanish?
Help us, our God, if we're meant to survive!"

We watch the vain and selfish prosper,
Catching our eyes with gold and satin,
Walking on carpets from coaches to mansions,
Grinning and spreading fair words on the air,
And living as if just beauty matters.

Many speak words that may seem to us
Benign at first, or even helpful,
Promising riches, excitement, and love,
But hide in their depths the poison of greed,
The road to death for all who take it.
Others may kill us outright with no lies
To cover their deeds with a veil of false good.

The ones who do well in a world of evil
Tell us, "We're free to choose our own way.
No power compels us to stop and think
Of how our lifestyle may harm the earth."

To us who grieve in a world of falsehood,
Sometimes it seems that it's best to die
To be spared from seeing evil on top.

Above, however, this world of darkness,
Heaven is free of lies that bring pain.
The good can find joy in the light of God,
Who spoke all things to be in goodness—
"Perfect" describes the words of our God.
No trace of dross defiles their metal,
Purer than silver that dazzles our sight,
However refined that metal may be.

Our God, though high above creation,
Listens to cries of the weak and needy,
Saying, "Oppressors deprive us of joy."
The One Who heard the cry from Egypt—
Masters were making the Children of God
Grow weary as slaves lest they feel the lash—
Will say, "I'll rise and protect my loved ones,
Lovers of good, from those who harm them."

Tellers of lies, though they know a season
Brimming with glee, will grow poor and despised,
And words that promised beauty and wealth
Will appear at last for the wind that they are.

Our God, in due time, will protect our lives
From those who fear us because of the truth
That resides alone in the One Who made all.

If this poem spoke to you, you may enjoy my Biblical epic poems

A Song of the One, the age-old account of Creatlon, Fall, Redemption, and Glory retold in verse for a new millennium, and

The Stars Bow Down: An Epic of Joseph, the timeless tale of a favorite son whose brothers sold him into slavery, but whom God raised from a prison to save the known world from famine.