Classic Poem

I think God does pretty well:
We growl like unthankful children about the world,
We go round with our haughty noses in the air scenting defects,
We challenge the ways of God by the ways of men,
We condemn God without a hearing and make light of God's troubles,
We cheapen God to the prices of the market and the codes of schools,
Yet God keeps right on being God and makes no answer,
Yet God pushes the tides along and holds the stars to their courses and says nothing,
Yet God sticks very closely to business day and night without a word,
Keeping God's accounts square to the last atom of substance and the last pulse of life.

You want to reverse the decisions of God,
You want to shift the universe a bit to the right or to the left to improve its standing,
You want to take the pen out of God's hand and sign a few checks with your own name.
I have sent a lot of advice up to God in my time so I am not feeling proud or superior,
But I say I dont think it ever did any good either to God or to me,
And to tell you the truth I would have been afraid and tried to run off if God had taken my advice,
For I notice I make a pretty mess of disease and of sex and of being honest here on the earth,
Getting the pros and cons pretty badly tumbled over and damaged,
And after sweating and swearing as I wrestle with the stubborn soil of the common day,
I am glad enough to call in God to conclude my chaos with a touch of God's order.
When I look out over the harvest field in the fall I feel that God does pretty well,
And in the winter with winter's snow husbanding the latent life of the ground I feel that God does pretty well,
And when the spring comes eager for reproduction and the summer passes the treasured burden along I feel that God does pretty well
The priests get together and remodel the work of God with a creed,
The statesmen assemble in legislative halls and amend the work of God with a constitution,
And so religion is lost—we must go back to God for religion:
And so freedom is lost—we must go back to God for freedom.
I looked at the sunset last night—God seemed to do pretty well there:
And then I looked inside myself and saw even more wonderful similes of color and form: God seemed to be doing pretty well for me.
It is easy to take the work of God to pieces—it will not resist you,
But what can you do to put the work of God together again?
I can see the moon and the sun and the tides made different but I dont know that I can see them made better:
The tenets of God are in physical law and moral necessity and human hate and love
I have my bother getting God just correct but I have more bother toeing the mark with my uncertain feet,
And while I wait I look out upon the cities and the rest of the stage and thank God that God does not let go—
Thank God that while I am wondering just where to start to make matters over,
God just keeps right on doing things in the old way.
There is something way ahead of virtue and vice,
There is something way ahead of mercy and cruelty,
There is something (strange as it may seem) way ahead of right and wrong,
There is something way ahead of ugliness and beauty,
And if you will look way ahead you will see it,
And if you see it you will from now on not ask God to change places with you,
And if you see it you will from now on cloud the heavens with no more muddy counsel,
For you will from now on know that in spite of the priests religion does pretty well,
For you will know from now on that in spite of the statesmen freedom does pretty well,
For you will know from now on that in spite of advice God does pretty well:
Yes, in spite of your honest sorrows and tragic bewilderments, does pretty well.
Do you not see, dear comrade? is the sun up in your world?
Do not be afraid to look: the light will not hurt you: it is full day: look!
I think God does pretty well!