Conscience and Consciousness

The Ledger

The Ledger

God keeps a ledger,
I was told when I was very young,
of all the good and bad we do,
of whom we hurt and mend,
so at our exit he will know
which way our souls to send.

I took this job upon myself
since God had more to do,
than spend his time observing me
and tending to my score,
while hungry people starve to death,
and evil men make war.

My early years were easy
with only minor sins to add.
My teenage years were tougher
as I followed shady fads.
The war years were the hardest
as my sins began to swell,
when desperate acts to save my life,
moved me steadily toward hell.

By the time I was a free man,
my soul was deep in debt,
needing many acts of kindness
from a heart turned freshly true,
to offset all the bad I'd done
to those I never knew.

I've worked quite hard in recent years
to add more acts of good,
to help the helpless,
guide the lost,
and do the things I should.

So here I sit with pen in hand
to add my ledger up.
The tally done, I realize
that I had best not die,
for up till now,
this date and time,
my ledger is a tie.