To A Young Protestor

Why do you spend your spring afternoons
on the grounds of city hall
marching back and forth,
waving signs and yelling?

Here’s how you’ll make a real difference:
Go to church. Find a woman you’d like to love,
woo her, marry her, care for her.
Care for her more than you care for yourself.
Care for her more than you care
for whatever cause you’re yelling about.

Have a home full of children,
work an honorable job,
live an honorable life,
and teach your children to do the same.

If none of that works out,
at least take a break once in a while.
Find a few flowers and give
them away to strangers passing by.
Everybody likes flowers.