Honouring

 The letter arrived yesterday,

only an address to and from,

the writer acknowledging

we did not know each other,

so to him I was "Neighbour,"

and he an adherent 

of a certain faith.

 

Did I know, he asked,

who controls the world?

With a tract and a Biblical reference,

we clearly disagreed,

though he does not yet know that.

 

It would be too easy to 

dismiss him in a dozen different ways,

shred his Biblical understandings,

but the painstakingly hand-printed letter,

with an error or two crossed out,

his manifest sincerity and desire

that one more soul not be lost to Evil,

invites--compassion? maybe that's

patronizing--at least the quiet

setting aside of letter and intent 

and maybe a prayer of thanks

for his caring.

Maybe one of his other letters

has provoked a reply.

Maybe only the silence

of unsent mail.