an insightful poem...

I've been doing a fair amount of reading, thinking and praying lately. In my reading, I came across the below poem. It really struck me as insightful. What do you think?

When my brothers were too young to be wise

When my brothers were too young to be wise
But too old to name things creatively,
They invented a game called:
Let’s take turns jumping off Tom’s roof
And throw the cat after the person who jumped.

At least they took turns…

Later, when my brothers were too young to be wise
But old enough to put their scientific knowledge to use,
They played a game called:
Let’s pour gas over this giant pile of weeds
And then light it on fire.

At least the doctor said
That their eyebrows will grow back…

Later, when my brother was old enough to be depressed
But too young to know how to cope,
He would play a game called:
Let’s go to Tom’s house and do a lot of drugs
And drink all his step-dad’s beer.
At least there was that one English teacher
Who asked if something was wrong…
But what could you say?
We are so poorly equipped to deal with these troubles,
And there are so few doctors of the soul these days…
What is there to do?
I know some people who fight it all their lives,
Kicking against the goads till they bleed to death.
Others, like Dad, ignore it,
Thinking that hard work, sunshine, and
The passing of time will resolve it.
Still others, like Mom, ostracize and cast blame
By leaving condemnatory, evangelical polemics taped
To your bathroom mirror.

But now my brothers and I are old enough
To begin to be wise,
Yet still young enough to climb the cold roof
To talk and to smoke.
So I will play a new game with you called:
Let’s get together and bear one another’s burdens.
At least I will not laugh at your pain,
I will not try to fix your problems,
I will not ignore your suffering
Or condemn you with my piety…
I will simply lie here next to you in the cold
While we breathe our smoky prayers to God.

-- Raeben Nolan

turning around...

"To repent means to turn around, to stop what you're doing and do the opposite. To repent means that even though you used to assume one thing was true, you now know it's wrong -- all wrong -- and you will now believe and act upon something totally different. Repent is a good, strong word, full of hope and new beginnings. In the context of Jesus' kingdom, repent is an invitation to another world, another life, a way of being that was supposed to be all along and can be now......
.....Repentance means that we choose to agree only with God's perspective. That He alone is God and He alone understands the blatant ways in which our own hearts deceive us. Evil that we will never notice exists in us and around us.... To repent is to say to God: "I'm blind. I don't see, but I want to. Please show me Your heart in everything."

Quoted from "This Beautiful Mess" by Rick McKinley