No Greater Love

I see repetitious rows
Dim windows with dark outlines
Patients dreaming, patients breathing
Free from oppressive, fickle, time
Momentarily spared heart break

Then I see McMurphy
A cruel insult decaying under moonlight
I remember him snapping the nurse with his towel,
How he snapped his towel at the machine
And I can no longer pretend

There are many kinds of love
One of the deepest, one of the best —
Is ending the pain of someone we love
So Big Chief pushed down hard
Freeing his friend from heartless revenge

Kesey described how hard McMurphy fought,
How, while loving life and refusing fear
His strong body thrashed,
Until the Indian did what he had to do
Ended McMurphy’s life there in the night

Then Big Chief walked to the big machine
Pulled on the strong stubborn moorings that held it down
Gave a shove, smashed it through wire and glass
Crashed it onto the ground
And it was gone

Sometimes love makes us so happy
That we want to dance and spin
Shows us blue skies with white clouds that no one has seen before
Then it turns and reveals its dark back
But it’s still so beautiful it makes us cry

So, how can I swallow this lump in my throat?
How can I sleep knowing what the world should be?
Sometimes love turns out so tragic, must be so sad
But consider the wonderful packages beauty fills it with
How Kesey changed beauty into words, and his words dried our tears

Peter W. Johnson - 6/11/2017

_