Folks in Heaven

by J Taylor Ludwig
(Copyright 2004. Permission granted to
reproduce this as long as it carries
the author’s name and copyright.)

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
as I entered heaven’s door,
not by the beauty of it all
nor 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.
Uncle Bill, 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 would see you.”

Judi Ludwig writes from Labadie, MO, where she lives with her husband Rick and their two kids. She has written a couple dozen humorous Christian poems which she is currently organizing into a book that she hopes to publish in 2020 or 2021.