Arthur Brown

Arthur brown died on this day
in the most unusual of ways
seems he got stuck in the muck
of his man made hut
and had nowhere to go when
the heavy winds came.

Now on this day of every year
we all promise ourselves
to come back and raise a glass
and shed a tear
to a good friend we loved so dear.

well...actually

Fame came only when death
called poor Arthur's name
truth is I, and the rest of us thought
the man was a wee bit strange.

Him with his hut
smack dab in the middle of suburbia
Use to greet us all in the morning
With two thumbs up

And all of just grinned and thought “what the F*%k”

Him with his hut
Smack dab in the middle of suburbia
Use to walk out on the highway
In his rags while holding a paper cup

And all of us thought poor Arthur was such a nut

At night sometimes we’d hear him scream at the top of his lungs
“Behold the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”
Now…I tend to ignore the things I don’t understand
So I had no trouble sleeping

On one fateful night
When the sky didn’t look right
I was a little afraid for poor Arthur’s life
But he chuckled and told me not to worry
He was ready for a fight.

Then with a teeth-less grin he proceeded to try and fly a paper kite.

And that was the last I saw of poor Arthur Brown
For he got stuck in the muck
Of his man made hut
And had nowhere to go when
The heavy winds came.

Now there were reporters and camera’s
From stations all around
That descended and camped upon all the lawns of
this old town

And I…as the unspoken leader, demanded to know what was going down
And one newsman spoke up as he handed me an old newspaper clipping
“seems your poor Arthur Brown was more than just the local clown…
Before ya’ll all came he was the richest man in town.”

Those around me began to laugh

Mrs. Beagle, the most obnoxious of us all
Found it most hard to believe
“HIM…that dirty ’ol man
Who lived in his hut
smack dab in the middle of OUR suburbia

Despite Mrs. Beagle’s lack for tact
I also had to question that
So I asked the reporter if he had
Any more proof to what he considered
Fact.

He pointed to the clipping
“read the fine print and tell me what you think”

1923 CEDERVILLE CITY DAILY NEWS: SPECIAL REPORT

Arthur Brown
The most richest man in town
Is selling his companies
And giving away all his shares
Says he is no longer content
With being a BILLIONAIRE.

He explains that someone came to him in a dream
And made him realize that his life had only
Been about superficial things
“Beware the Kingdom of Heaven was at Hand”
And there he lay without any solid travel plans.

Now this someone who came into his dream
So daring!
So bold!
Took him by the hand and led him to a road

“Question…
What is a man if gains the world yet loses his soul?”

Arthur scratched his head and thought for a minute before replying
“Stranger…I reckon I just don’t know.”

“he is a man who has not a room in My home.
A man whose feet will never walk on streets of gold
A man whose thirst will never be quenched by the water from the rivers that flow
A man who will be judge and condemned on the things he CLAIMS he doesn’t know”


Arthur started to think about all his worldly gains
About all the money and fame
Sadly he came to realize
That…“with all the cash I’ve spent, I do not
Feel any more content .”

Arthur shook his head “oh…so, what do I do
And who the heck are you?
Are you sure I can’t get to Heaven
By the things that I do….
What if I donate some money to build crippled kids a
Zoo
Y’know ramps for the wheelies
With talking info stations for the blind.
Every sign will have bright flashing lights for those who can’t hear
To warn them if any dangers are near.”

“Well that’s all ok the stranger said.
But deeds alone aren’t enough to secure you
A place in My home.
I’m looking for hearts
That are honest and searching
Who are tired of reaching
And grabbing nothing.
Who, despite all they do
Come to conclusions
That the things of this world
Are merely illusions.
Fame is a game
Looks can be mistook
Success last only as long as the ladder you place your
Foot.”

Arthur thought and thought
And came to a crossroads of the heart
He could feel the stranger looking at him
As he felt he was coming to his wit’s end .
“To give up everything…that might not be smart”
He may have not been truly content
But he looked good in his suits
and loved his cars.
“this kind of life has gotten me far
…and yet nowhere.
Hhhhhhmmmmm.
A crossroads of the heart indeed.
Arthur brown what will you do?
This stranger here is waiting for you
To decide to place your life in his hands
And stop being a slave to the flesh of man.

Arthur Brown….what will you do?”

1923 CEDERVILLE CITY DAILY NEWS: SPECIAL REPORT

Arthur Brown
The most richest man in town
Is selling his companies
And giving away all his shares
Says he is no longer content
With being a BILLIONAIRE

In his own words:

“The money and fame and girls
With exotic last names gave me
All kinds of clout
But it’s time for me to
go a different route.
in an effort to obtain true glory
A friend has promised to rewrite my story.
And if you ask He will do the same for you”

Now, back to me, the narrator of this whole thing.

It would seem that what I…what we all took for nuts
Was just Arthur trying to shake our lives up.
Him and his hut was a metaphor for us
Seems we were the one’s stuck in the muck.
What’s that he use to say in the middle of the night
From the edge of the highway:

“BEHOLD! THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND!”

Yes, now we understand…