The Free Agent
By Bobby Thompson of Baton Rouge, La.
I am not a Christian
I do not accept Jesus as the son of god or my personal savior
Heaven and hell are manufactured here on earth
I am not an atheist
Though I’ve never met a god an atheist would reject
That I could accept.
I am not a deist
The deification of anthropomorphic ideals
Inevitably fall way short
I am not a mystic
Though I peer open eyed into the mystery of existence
And the magic of human interaction
I am not agnostic
The door remains open to the human capacity to uncover
The ultimate spiritual realities
I am not a humanist
Though I know all relevant knowledge is revealed through the human intellect
All good and evil reside within the human context.
I am not Muslin or Jew
The lesson of Love thy neighbor goes unheeded
In the land of Eden
I am not Buddhist
Though I have gained great insights through meditation and the art of mindfulness
Not Taoist, though my Tao is the Tao
I am neither conservative nor Liberal
I reserve the right to thoughtfully call ‘em like I see ‘em.
I have no intent to do anyone harm
I am neither Democrat nor Republican
Though I believe everyone’s voice must be heard
Still the poor are oppressed
As confusing as this may seem
The paradox is even greater
Because all I say I’m not
Is also who I am
Freedom can never be free
It must reside inside the confines
Of it’s own enlightened constraints
Or meaning becomes meaninglessness.
Intimidating is this shrine of sovereignty
Without allegiances or loyalties
Without indebtedness or attachment
Without a sense of judgment or worth
Within this silence is my liberation
Within this eternal singularity
Moments come strung like pearls
To live like never born, invisible to the eye
It is the reflections that make me seem real
Echoes give voice as if I could be heard
Above the rumblings of described realities
Making up this enacted story as I go along
Falling upwards towards the light
That seems to grow dim with time
That zooms by while I stop to smell the roses
Watch a parade of different drummers
Beat, beat, beat
It into something that lives
Dance, Dance, Dance,
Until the heart is delighted
Live life twirling
Bending colors into banality
As if nothing matters
Except the unrevealed truth
I am its representative,
Its Ambassador,
Its Envoy
I’m the Delegate
Deputy
Emissary
And
Author
Of
The Free Agent