7/20/2010

Praise to God

Note: This poem is not intended to offend. I fear, however, that some may be offended.  If so, I apologize. 


Praise to God


Not the god of bricks and mortar,
Lovely though those places be.
With filtered light and murmured words
And beseeching marble statuary.

Not the god of the robe and scapular
Filled with angst and shame
Watching his children defile the innocent
While whispering his name.

Not the god of faraway caves
Where the “faithful” cower and hide
Lying in wait to kill and maim
The infidels from another side.

Not the god of pride and prejudice
With altars built of racism and hate
And followers armed with false superiority
Who would deny asylum at heaven’s gate.

Not the god of hypocrites
Who speak of the sanctity of life
While tossing bombs into clinics and crowds.
Better the back-alley knife?

Not the god of exclusion and privilege
The pious more entitled than you and me
Who measure your worth by the wealth that you have
Laid out on display for others to see.

Not the god of electorates
Who’ve forgotten the roots of our land,
For whom separation of Church and State
Is something they just don’t understand.

Not the god with followers who cry:
“Believe in only my god, or you’re dead!”
Who fight for their god with bullets and bombs
Mounting a war for heaven-knows-what lies ahead.

No, none of these gods is the god I praise.
There’s nothing they have to give.
I praise a god with a heart full of grace
A god who smiles, and blesses all who live.

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 This was written for One Shot Wednesday at One Stop Poetry.

12 comments:

  1. You didn't offend me - this was lovely! This God you write of is one that I visit with every day.

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  2. Amen to all of it Patti, This is the God I praise too..very well said... blessings...bkm

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  3. I totally agree, you are a wonderful writer, this should be a hymn sung all day, at least the last stanza.
    teach your children.

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  4. ah, but i know this one you speak of...and we sit together by the grape vine...

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  5. Well said and beautiful! I know the God of whom you speak - "all nature speaks in manifold witness."

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  6. Lovely poem, Patti. One thing you must remember is that people offend themselves. You are never responsible for their feelings - because you have no control over them. The only feelings you can ever control are your own. I really liked this poem. Very well done. And, as far as I can tell, completely soaked in the truth. I loved it.

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  7. Oh, this is an anthem from the heart of hearts. It rings loud and long and true... Patti, this is beautiful.

    We are what we contemplate, and when we look to the mountains, the rivers, the lakes, the forests... we become part of the process, part of the inherent Good that is resident there.

    This truth of yours is gentle, it's poetry in motion, it's profound and it lifts my spirit.

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  8. Well said - and - yes - I also praise this god with a heart full of grace!

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  9. With the great mystery being just that- mystery, we look to the clues of nature for glimpses of this ineffable graceful presence. Well said and lovely, Patti.

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  10. How could such as this offend? This is an absolutely wonderful poem, spilling forth with all the beauty that comes from writings of the heart.

    This is the God whom all should praise in equal measure.

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Thoughts? I would love to hear from you.