I’ve caught a glimpse of him
maybe once or twice
Perhaps I didn’t get him at the right time,
he didn’t have a smile, not very nice
One time an article about cars
purchased from his auction lot appeared
Stirring up a frenzy as if this man is
a criminal, someone to be feared
So what if the intent of the buyer
is at odds with Father Joe’s?
The latter is a godsend in many
ways we’ll ever, ever know
So there he was with a delegation
of men sporting the collar
I was excited to see him, it was
enough for me to want to holler
It was a serious matter and I
could see the gravity of the scene
So I kept my mouth shut, to do
otherwise would be obscene
With the weight on his shoulders
to operate this village
In a place that’s being gentrified
our home this city wants pillaged
Unbeknownst to them all,
perhaps Father Joe knows this too
We’re all sitting on a gold mine
for we’re all resources, me and you
Father Joe’s giving us a second chance
an effort he never, ever tires
And what is now only a village
will one day soon become an Empire
July 2005