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The Good Samaritan

Scene: The road between Jerusalem and Jericho. It is now
three days since a good Samaritan has left an injured
robbery victim in the care of an innkeeper.

Your wounds are healing? Good. No, please don’t speak.
Just have some wine. Fear not. You cause no stir.
But, stranger, I confess my knees went weak
To see how badly beaten up you were!

That foreigner who brought you saved your skin!
The road to Jericho is dark and filled
With danger. Someday I must move this inn.
There’s so much crime. Too many souls get killed.

Drink up! Let’s toast that kind Samaritan
Who stopped here with you draped across his mule.
So grave he was with much to merit in
His words. He railed how men could be so cruel!

He told me none would raise you from the mud,
Not Priest nor Levite. Could it be they saw
Your wounds and feared that contact with your blood
Might prove a sacrilege of Temple law?

Thank God this kind Samaritan by chance
Came forth and stopped. He cleaned your wounds with oil
Then brought you here and paid me in advance
To cover lodging, meals and sundry toil.

To be attacked by bandits for your purse?
You’re not the first and not the last, I fear.
At least you live! Some victims have fared worse,
But few who are attacked seek lodging here.

The reason’s simple: they’re bereft of cash
To pay my humble charges. I must make
A living! Lodgers sometimes sleep then dash.
They cheat me when my family’s at stake!

But even so. This stranger’s kindly heart
Has touched my soul and bolstered my belief.
He didn’t treat you as a man apart.
You could have been a murderer or thief!

Please eat. Don’t fret! It’s true your costs exceed
The handful of denarii he paid.
But I won’t charge you. Clearly in your need
The coins I’m owed weigh far less than my aid.

I rarely bond with those the highway sends,
But we have shared a story, wine and bread.
We’re neighbors now. In fact, I’d say we’re friends.
Thank God you’re here and didn’t end up dead!

.

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Brian Yapko is a lawyer who also writes poetry. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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37 Responses

  1. Tonia Kalouria

    What a great, beautifully written story! I like the way the Innkeeper, too, has been often “robbed” by those who skip out on their debt to him, yet he does not hesitate to help another — and gain a friend in the process.

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Tonia, thank you very much for your comment. I’m glad you appreciate the character of the innkeeper and his decision to help another. I think that there must have been some hesitation on his part, however. He was a bit jaded from often getting ripped-off. This, however, was overcome by the example of the Good Samaritan, whose acts of kindness touched the innkeeper’s soul and bolstered his belief. But for the example of the Good Samaritan I’m not sure the innkeeper would have been as hospitable as he was. If my poem has a theme it’s that “one good deed may beget another.”

      Reply
  2. Tonya McQuade

    A beautiful poem and message! I love how you capture the Samaritan’s compassion with the line, “He didn’t treat you as a man apart.” It stands as such a contrast to the priest and Levite who walk by, ignoring the man’s obvious need (as far too many in society do today). I teach the Parable of the Good Samaritan in my high school English class along with another story we read called “On the Sidewalk Bleeding,” by Evan Hunter, and a poem titled “I Got Flowers Today,” which I found in an old Ann Landers column. I hope it would be okay with you if I use your poem as well. My only suggestion would be to get rid of a couple of the exclamation points and save them for the places that mosts need emphasis.

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Tonya, thank you very much for your kind comment! I’m especially pleased that you chose to mention what is my favorite line of the poem. I’m inspired to check out the Hunter and Ann Landers readings and I’m honored that you would choose to add my poem to your English class list! Please feel free to use it as you see fit! Yes, sorry about my penchant for exclamation points. They result from my rather excitable nature. I’ll keep your suggestion in mind for my future work. (FYI, I had to restrain myself from adding an exclamation point to the end of that last sentence.)

      Reply
  4. Mary Gardner

    Brian, thank you for your moving and insightful look into the innkeeper’s character. Until reading your poem just now, I never gave thought about the innkeeper.

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Thank you very much, Mary. To be honest, neither did I! But I find that the Bible is full of minor characters who may also have stories and challenges worth speculating about.

      Reply
  5. Paul Freeman

    It’s a pity we didn’t have readings like this at morning assembly rather than texts inaccessible to ten-year-olds.

    You did a wonderful thing here, Brian, expanding on the innkeeper like that and humanising him so well.

    Thanks for the read.

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Thank you very much, Paul. I was hoping for a fresh take on this familiar parable and am glad that it worked for you. I do like retelling biblical stories in a way a 10-year old would understand!

      Reply
  6. Joseph S. Salemi

    This is a great dramatic monologue, with a silent interlocutor (the victim). The scriptural account seems such a perfect scenario for a poem like this, that I’m surprised no similar poetic attempt has been made.

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Joseph, thank you very much for this kind comment. I consider you an expert on the dramatic monologue and, therefore, am particularly pleased by your critique. Your comment gives me an opportunity to share something that I am learning as I write more poetry: the exceeding importance of the selection of the speaker and then committing to that speaker’s point of view. In this case, I knew that I wanted to write a poem about the Parable of the Good Samaritan, but I didn’t know how to go about it. To simply rewrite a narrative version would have been pointless since Jesus, through Luke, already does that exceedingly well and needs no help. Then I started writing it from the point of view of the Samaritan himself but it came across as indignant and stilted. I transferred the point of view to the victim — it came across as whiny and offered no insight other than victimhood. Then, when I realized that what I wanted was a third -party witness who might actually interpret the story subjectively and see it as a springboard for change in some manner, the character of the innkeeper fell into place. Subjective point of view really matters in this type of poetry! Thank you for your fine essay on dramatic monologues for it helped me understand and appreciate what this unique poetic form requires. And thank you for letting me explain this specific poem a bit better.

      Reply
  8. Geoffrey Smagacz

    As the poem wore on, the Innkeeper seemed a little more focused on the money than on the wounded man. It’s a subtle transition. Obviously, he wouldn’t have helped had he not been paid. I liked the way you managed to rhyme Samaritan with to merit in.

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Thank you, Geoffrey. I appreciate you reading and commenting. You have something in your bringing up the issue between money and the victim’s injuries. The thing about the innkeeper’s character is that he is a subsisting businessman whose inn is located in a very dodgy place and who has a family to support. When writing this poem I reflected on some of the family markets that barely survive in places like South Central Los Angeles where there is tremendous crime. With this type of subtext the innkeeper does indeed worry about whether he is going to get hit next and he is necessarily defensive about both security and money. But the actions of the Good Samaritan throw him a bit. He has this example of kindness and generosity which makes him rethink his values a little bit. I tried to write the innkeeper so that he would seem like an ordinary person with ordinary problems confronted with an extraordinary act of moral clarity. Sometimes conversions come slowly and reluctantly.

      Reply
  9. Cynthia Erlandson

    I agree that this is a very well-written and imaginatively-told sequel to the story, from a point of view most of us hadn’t thought of.

    Reply
  10. Norma Pain

    I really enjoyed your poem Brian. It tells a wonderful heart-warming story of kindness and friendship.

    Reply
  11. Joshua C. Frank

    Brian, what a wonderful meditation on the parable of the Good Samaritan! I never thought of it from the innkeeper’s perspective, because I never thought it was relevant… you’ve shown me how wrong I was about that!

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Thank you very much, Joshua! I’m not sure many people have thought about the innkeeper at all. He’s such a minor character. I myself never thought of him seriously until I pondered a way to offer a new view of the Good Samaritan parable. The Bible is full of minor characters who nonetheless have stories that may be worth sharing. We can never know what they really saw and felt but I think it’s worth meditating and speculating on their points of view. For instance, every person who attended the Sermon on the Mount could easily have their own poem. I’ve actually done two poems just on nameless Sermon attendees (“The Young Rabbi” and “Where Your Treasure Is”) because I find it exciting to contemplate what it would have been like to actually be there.

      Reply
  12. Satyananda Sarangi

    Greetings, Brian Sir!

    This is as good a ballad one gets to read. Classy, crisp and creative. I have read your poems before but this is one of its kind.

    Best wishes.

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Greetings, Satyananda! I’m so happy to see you here and to to receive your generous comment. Thank you very much and best wishes to you as well, Sir!

      Reply
  13. Paul Freeman

    I hope you don’t mind, Brian. Below is a story I wrote some time back which Evan suggested I post it.

    The Good Samaritan – Retold

    A certain man was traversing a park twixt his abode and his local victualling station (Tesco Express) when he was beset by a multicultural gang of young ruffians. They beat him, stripped him of his attire and divested him of his telecommunications device lest he alert the authorities.

    Once the ruffians had departed, a dog walker approached. Yet instead of helping the stricken man, he videoed his plight, sent the footage to a tabloid newspaper and reaped an ill-gotten monetary reward.

    Then a suburban mother passed by who was offended by the stricken man’s nakedness. “Cover your eyes, children!” she said, and continued on her way.

    At last came a man blighted by homelessness, pushing a shopping trolley filled with his worldly belongings. Without hesitation, he lay his possessions aside, lifted the stricken man into the trolley, and pushed him to the nearest A&E.

    END

    * A&E = Hospital Accident and Emergency Department

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Dear Paul, I don’t mind in the least! Evan was right. This is a wonderful (if upsetting) update on the Good Samaritan parable! Perhaps you should consider writing a poetic version because it is visually quite stunning. The man who videos the injuries without assisting has become all too common. In fact, this gross voyeur deserves poetic treatment all on his own. You should consider it! For those of us who have lived in big cities, your entire update is a painfully accurate and relevant scene. Thank you for sharing it.

      Reply
  14. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    Brian, this poem is beautiful. I am going to disagree with Mr. Smagacz and say the innkeeper highlights the moral of the Good Samaritan parable “Love thy neighbor as thyself” – evident in the last two stanzas. Friendship is definitely more important than money. This is a wonderful lesson to us all but from a fresh perspective. To me, it shows that a good heart and a kind deed spreads in ways that make a difference to people’s outlooks for the better. I believe an honest smile really is contagious… and your poem is a huge sunshine smile in a world gone astray.

    Your attention to the technical details of the poem ensures that it reads smoothly with a clarity that makes the words melt away and the scenery and emotions of the moment appear before one’s eyes in all their tangible glory. You are a magnificent poet and storyteller, and this fine piece serves to prove it. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Dear Susan, I’m so happy to receive your comment! You always get exactly what I’m aiming for. Thank you for your kind words and thank you for your highlight of the “Love thy neighbor as thyself” message. Yes, ultimately the innkeeper becomes a second “good Samaritan” because he is inspired by the example of the Samaritan spotlighted in the parable. You get exactly what the theme of my poem was intended to be: basically that kind deeds do indeed have the potential to be contagious. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. Acts of evil or indifference are also contagious which is no small part of why the world has indeed gone astray. How does one intervene and make things better? Real and authentic acts of compassion are a good place to start.

      Thank you also, Susan, for giving me an opportunity to say one other thing: This “Good Samaritan” poem is almost the polar opposite of my recent “Drunk on Compassion” poem. That is because the compassion and kindness exhibited by the Good Samaritan is authentic and actually focused on helping the victim. It is sober and logical and not a form of enabling or Pollyannaish feel-good-about-yourself self-delusion. It is goodness which makes a difference and is not meant to inflate the Samaritan’s ego or virtue signal. This is why the innkeeper’s small but real transformation inspired by the Samaritan is meaningful. It is based on actual friendship and the offering of concrete, tangible help for someone who was truly victimized. It is not
      woke performance art. It is the biblical concept of honest charity.

      And Susan, thank you so much for the kind words about my poetry. You have made my day!

      Reply
  15. Jeff Eardley

    An absolutely wonderful poem Brian and a lesson to us all on the kindness to a stranger in trouble. It reads like, and could surely be a hymn with such perfect melodic phrasing. I enjoyed this very much. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Thank you so much, Jeff! Kindness is indeed a virtue. And your hymn thought is particularly interesting. If I was any good at composition I’d give it a try!

      Reply
  16. Sally Cook

    Dear Brian —

    A fine poem — elegant and spare, from an accomplished poet. It has a message in it for every human being. Thank you so much.

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Sally, thank you so much for your generous comment. I’m grateful that you like the poem and a message which I think is universal as well.

      Reply
  17. Margaret Coats

    Brian, it’s already agreed that the concept of portraying the innkeeper, and then your choices in developing his character, are what make this poem. I’d like to add a touch regarding his stop-and-think line, “The coins I’m owed weigh far less than my aid.” This reads smoothly enough, but it’s not immediately clear. We know the innkeeper is (and must be) concerned with money, and that he has a reliable promise that he will be paid what he’s owed. But this line is about his providing much more than he expects to be paid for–and not feeling cheated! In other words, it’s his turning point to talking about the spiritual value of helping someone in need, with personal service that can’t really be paid for, which produces a bond between the helper and the one who needed help. Good idea to have a slower, more thoughtful line before the innkeeper’s progress begins to pour forth in the words of the final stanza.

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Thank you for this insightful comment, Margaret. Yes! You understand exactly what I hoped would be understood. A man who is practical but not insensitive reaches a spiritual turning point — possibly even a conversion experience. This is a man who does indeed have to think practically because he has a family to support. I hoped that this innkeeper would be recognizable for we face the same challenges that he does — financial necessity demands that one exercise good economic husbandry today no less than in ancient times. That being the case, we also know that — even in our economic need — there are things that matter more than money. In this case, the innkeeper is confronted directly with a man who has faced injury and injustice who he can actually help. I tried to create a small amount of suspense with the unspoken question “will he help?” and the innkeeper does come through and answers “yes” which now makes him the second “good Samaritan” in the story. But here’s what I find important: his good deed probably occurs only because he has been touched and altered by experiencing the original Good Samaritan directly and by his example. I think that this opens the possibility that the Good Samaritan is actually a Christic figure who both saves and teaches. His actions exemplify Christian love before Christianity even exists! And, of course, that is the point of the parable in the first place.

      Reply
  18. Margaret Coats

    Brian, this may seem a bit beyond the point, but I’d like to add something about Samaritans today. There are many who have taken the Good Samaritan of the parable as namesake and model (especially for hospital and charity work), but there are also persons in Israel who identify as “Israelite Samaritans.” They attract a little attention every year for performing the ancient Passover sacrifice on Mount Gerizim. I first found out about them in discovering that their holy book, the Torah without additions, corresponds exactly to the Septuagint translation into Greek done very early in Egypt. This supports their claim to be the authentic descendants of ancient Israel–with the Jews as modernizers and innovators! In relation to your poem, these Samaritans today view themselves as the potential bridge of peace between the Jews of Israel and Palestinian Muslims. Who knows? Ultimately, the bridge of peace is Christ, Son of God and Son of David who offers unity in God’s peace to all children of Adam and Eve. But it is most interesting that the parable has been a strong force in giving Samaritans a good name throughout the world on Christ’s authority. You show a Jewish innkeeper experiencing Christian conversion, mediated by a Samaritan, in a story narrated by the divine Lord. For anyone who wants to know about Samaritans as they exist today, there is a website AB Samaritan News. The latest update is 2021, so I am afraid its originator, Benyamim Tsedaka, may have passed on. It will remain a fascinating resource as long as it exists online.

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Margaret, thank you for this fascinating footnote. I’ve never heard of modern Samaritans before and am quite intrigued. I’ll look them up. Interesting footnote to your footnote: the name/word “Tsedaka” is Hebrew for charity. And I appreciate your summary of my poem which focuses on bringing disparate people and traditions together but under the same God. Along these lines, I take it that you understood my reference to sharing “a story wine and bread.” My intent was, of course, a foreshadowing of the Sacrament of Communion.

      Reply

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