The Shock of Heaven
This is called “The Best Poem in the World,” which isn’t true. But it is the best doggerel in the world. Read it and see if you don’t agree.
The Best Poem in the World
I was shocked, confused, bewildered
as I entered Heaven’s door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
by the lights or its decor.
But it was the folks in Heaven
who made me sputter and gasp–
the thieves, the liars, the sinners,
the alcoholics, the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade
who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought
was rotting away in hell,
was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, “What’s the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How’d all these sinners get up here?
God must’ve made a mistake.
And why’s everyone so quiet,
so somber? Give me a clue.”
“Hush, child,” said He, “They’re all in shock.
No one thought they’d see you.”
Pass it on: It’s all grace, all mercy, all love all the time.
Thank you, David! I was in such need of a laugh, and to have my spirit lifted this morning.
O.K. you made me go look up the word doggerel! But… yes…. this is great. And I now have a new vocabulary word that I will try to use in my next Words with Friends game. Thanks!
Always happy to help someone win at Words with Friends!
David I love these surprise endings! Is that me there ? Blessings clark
Can’t be you, since it’s me.
Not sure who I will see in Heaven, but I know what I want in Heaven – a field of flowers where I can rest! What I am afraid of, is that I will find myself back in Stamford Hospital Clinic trying to do 10 things at once!
Ginny
Loved it. Made me think how important it is not to wait until you get to heaven to appreciate the point of the poem by not judging others you meet in the here and now.
Per
This one had me hanging on each word and still surprised me enough to laugh out loud at the punch line. So true!
I am the author of this poem. It’s titled “Folks in Heaven” by J Taylor Ludwig. If you google it, you’ll find my copyright. Someone attributed it to a Rod Hemphill, but he just wrote a commentary on my poem. He did not write the poem.
Thanks for setting the record straight—and for a great poem!
Thank you. I’m glad you liked it . It’s a bit corrupted as someone changed “Uncle Bill” to “Herb” and other minor nuances.
Judi, I have been examining several places where your poem is quoted. One source even claims to be a “Truthbook”, but they did not mention your name! This is irksome, as the way a lot of media works is that people assume the poster wrote it. Let me know how I can help. I like your poem a lot. Shall I share it, beginning with the phrase, “Many are unaware of the creator of this meaningful and surprising poem, who is Judi Ludwig.” – Lucy Hudson Stembridge
Folks in Heaven is the correct name of the poem.
by J Taylor Ludwig
(Copyright 2004. Permission granted to
reproduce this as long as it carries
the author’s name and copyright.)