Poem: The Mole and the Thief by Jack Harvey

The Mole and the Thief 

Words by Jack Harvey
Image by Gretchen Gales
QuailBellMagazine.com

*Editor's Note: This poem was previously published in  Duane's PoeTree.

A vicious wretch resurrected,
a common criminal carrying
his earthly baggage, his looted goods,
can be in the mood for a change,
desire redemption in kindness,
in a spirit of love;

inspired by the moon
before his dark eyes
he changes his life
from dark to light.

But some creatures need no light,
no rehabilitation;
for some
dark is good enough.

Subtle as God
and profound
in the dark earth,
the mole,
a small creature,
guides his life
underground, goes in
total darkness, doing his work.

He challenges the surface to
operate as well as he the arts
of building, the subtleties of foundations.
Fetter by fetter he throws off;
digs and digs and
his limitations become virtues.
Finally there is no objection
to his blind ways and
his toil is fulfilled, his glory
in the dark earth
becomes perfect and bright
as the sun above, bright
as the surface of polar ice.

Let this change of a life
from good to bad,
this human conversion,
the steadfast mole
stuck in the dark
tell us something,
maybe just one thing;

live and change or
stay the same;

be a lesson to nobody.