Enigma Visits Poem by Herbert Nehrlich

When I woke in the morning at home
at the bedside there was a new feature,
it looked a bit like a small gnome
or some other benevolent creature.

So I stretched and then yawned for some space,
maybe dreams had accompanied me
into consciousness with its own lace,
a mysterious, promising key

to the mind of an ageless tradition
the enriched and intangible soul.
He remained there, an apparition
not quite human and not quite whole.

Well my question did startle him some.
I had asked for identification
but he carefully reached for his bum
and produced, for negotiation

a green passport with shiny gold writing
and with digital face recognition
under which it said 'INS - Sighting '
thus the gnome must have been on a mission

to the country of George and the gang,
and we then did commence our talk
which was mostly about the big Bang
then the gnome said 'Let's go for a walk'.

We went out to the green onion field
and he told me what was in store,
he assured me his lips were not sealed
and I shuddered and worried some more.

'Two most evil groups of God's creations
have besotted, besmirched our life,
they have taken as hostages nations
always bearing their self-serving knife.

It is not that the Jews or the Blacks
or the Germans, the Muslims or Gays
are responsible for those attacks
on the fortress of heavenly ways.

Nor is it what one would call need
for survival or comfort of living,
it is raw and belligerent greed
that will con others into giving

to the robbers and hoarders
who will steal what they can,
don't respect any borders
be it plant, beast or man.

There is, one, your physician
he will cure you to death
all those drugs have a mission
they will steal your last breath.

And the merchants who sell you
all their planned obsolescence
and then smilingly tell you
that their stuff is the essence.

And the bureaucrat servant
who devises new papers,
who, pedantic and fervent
always dreams up new capers.

Then the churchman in collars
who drinks wine in the dark,
preaches water and hollers
though it sounds like a bark.

They take all of your money
if you let them my friend,
and the land of sweet honey
is a dream in the end.

I must go now, just wanted
to alert you, my man
if you feel as if haunted
just remember, you can

change the world by demanding
from yourself and from others,
that if good men are standing
those who honour their mothers,

when all evil has vanished
and no shortcuts exist
even death will be banished
only sunshine and mist

will surround us and hold us
as we think of the odds,
what our forefathers told us
it came straight from the Gods.

Well, I truly must go
just think of the stigma
but I want you to know
that my name is Enigma.'