Tag Archives: Religion

STATUES

STATUES

There is a St. Francis in our garden
with a squirrel at his marble feet
and a small bird on his shoulder

Under the big oak out front
a stone Buddha holds firm
his mudra calling for discourse
equal balance of give and receive

As a Christian in a Christian land
it would be nice to have a Jesus too

If only we could find one of him
holding a fish and a loaf of bread
in each outstretched unpierced hand

GIVE ME THAT OLD RHYME RELIGION

GIVE ME THAT OLD RHYME RELIGION
(Happy 400th bible birthday)

The King James Bible is filled with poetry
everything since seems reduced to prose
why they did it – God only knows

From pulpits we hear more hate of late
– and politics and damnation
– and I sure miss the celebration

The Song of David is supposed to be a song
taking away the music just seems wrong

As for me, in the valley of the shadow
I want to be able to sing
and to feel God singing along

And if after the seventh trumpet note
we find that the big He or She
is an accountant – not a poet
we’re in a lot of trouble – you and me

HOW I LOST MY FAITH – In Preachers

It was a cold and muddy Sunday
Our little caravan of Christians
children, parents and student minister
stuck in the spring mud a mile from church

Me and city cousin Wayne
the chosen ones at age seven
chosen to walk
to the nearest neighbour
while the others wait in the cars

The neighbor’s not home
but his Cockshutt 40 tractor is

Some combination of farm boy bravado
and reluctance to slog
back to the cars in defeat
comes out as “I can drive a tractor!”

One foot each on the clutch
and a good deal of grinding
gets us into low gear
and off at about two miles per

The student minister meets us
two thirds of the way back

As our leader
in all things spiritual
and practical
he decrees that we are going
far too slow
and selects another gear
(probably at random, he’s from the city too)

The one he picks is the fastest
known in these parts as “Road Gear”
and we quickly accelerate to thirty

which causes the preacher to panic
(or remember that he forgot his bible)
and leap off

leaving us to wrestle the big red monster
now wildly careening from rut to rut
and rocketing toward the mired cars
and fearful families

Wrenching the wheel to the right
at the last possible moment
we narrowly avoid death and destruction
and stall to a stop in the water-filled ditch
amidst the prayers of the congregation