Randy E. Richmond

LOYALTY

We should ponder hard and lengthy before pledging loyal heart
To try to see the finish before we toe the line to start
Most equate the word with honor, but if I may be so bold
To suggest it matters greatly, whether it’s given or its sold

To a country, to a comrade, to a wife, or faithful friend
They may expect our loyalty till the final breath we spend
For these there is no offer made, it just is or isn’t there
When it is asked for or demanded, that’s reason to beware

Many in memory come to mind, loyal men and true
Like those who followed a little man’s plan to eradicate the Jew
Cambodia’s two million… beheaded, stabbed, or shot
By their very countrymen who were loyal to Pol Pot

Most times, the loyalties we give are much more than well-earned
Our reward is in its giving and again when it’s returned
Give yourself a pause for thought while you still can call a halt
Be careful of the cause you choose… lest you be loyal to a fault

Submitted for the July 2004 IWVPA Club Theme Project, “Loyalty”