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Is god on vacation Or just out to lunch

Is God On Vacation Or Just Out To Lunch

Writings by Sha’Ra On WindWalker

(in collaboration with Sha’Tara EarthStar)

Published by: Cocoons to Butterflies Publishing

Chilliwack, B.C. Canada

Cover pictures by: Top, Paul Szustka: Bottom, Clesio DaGama

All pictures found on FreeImages.com

Space Picture: ESA/Hubble

I hope you enjoy these writings. Feedback is welcome.

Soap Operas

Accepting God’s Gift

Back to God Again

Being God

Big Words

Churchless

Competitive Sports

Does God Care?

Does Prayer Work

Double Meaning

Edging God Out

Entering Heaven

Forgiveness or Perfection?

Freedom of Nature

Heaven Or Hell

Poetry Mechanics

God Calling Collect

Talking With God

Is God Love?

A Love Note From God

Stray Thoughts

Sunny Weather

The Ten Commandments

Uncommon Wisdom?

Ode To The Out-House

Illusion Of Hell

The Face Of God

Unreality

Kill your Creator

So Much To Ask?

Promises Or Delivery?

Prime Mover Of Sin

One Falls Out

Is God Behind You?

Inner Voice

Is God On Vacation? Or Just Out To Lunch?

The Ant People

The Beef Cow

The Wooden Box

When You Pray, God Works

Where Is God

Space Travel

If God Built Robots

“Sport” Hunting

God’s Blessings?

Gorgeous Day

Ode to the Flush Toilet

The Book

The Devil

Who Created God

Word Mechanics

Losing Your Marbles

Religion

God’s Will

Unrecognized and Nameless

Unfortunately

Who Is God?

Telephone Service

The Ten Commandments

Split Personality

God’s Bribes

Ode To The Sewer

Prayer

What Do I Know?

Just Have Faith

No Weed In God’s Garden

In Search Of God

The God Question

When Shit Happens

Give Your Soul Back to God!

Foreword

These books contain a form of free verse poetry, opinions based on observation, and some humour and imagination, engaging the heart as well as the mind. A critical look at many current issues intriguing and plaguing man. Spirituality, interaction with nature and environment, social changes, dwindling resources. Well worn issues now, indeed. But the poetry and other works in these books gives this subject a different perspective. I daresay that here we can find a “higher” vantage point from which to look at ourselves within the cosmos.

Who knows but some of the ideas in the books may get you inspired to do that thing you always wanted to do, even if this comes in a very small way, to make your corner of this world a better place to be in. Who knows but you may realize your little corner is a really nice place to be in after all.

It’s all about life, if at times expressing life “outside the box” as the saying goes.

Soap Operas

Soap operas operate within

a world of complete unreality:

they form a blinding web of negativity

within those nurtured daily

by their poisonous portrayal

of false values along life’s path.

Every soap’s love relationship

is created solely for destruction,

always ending on a sad note:

a world without hope,

is the world of soap.

It makes me wonder why

they are called “soaps”

when the entertainment

Accepting God’s Gift

“Getting into Heaven is no big trick:

all you have to do is accept

the gift of God in Jesus Christ.

How you live your life beyond that

is purely secondary, a matter of choice.”

Well, that’s what I was told one day

by an old man with a Bible.

So, I thought,

I can be an ignorant S.O.B.

most of my life

(even if I know better)

and with “God’s gift” in my heart

when I die

I am heaven bound!

(Who would turn down such a deal?)

On the other hand,

I can live my life impeccably,

be kind and generous and caring,

but if I refuse “God’s gift”

that’s just too bad

‘cause when I die

it’s straight to hell -

do not pass “Go” and

do not collect the $200 either!

There you have it: these are the rules.

It’s how you play

the Fun Da Mental Monopoly game

in Christianity.

Believe it!

Amen brother.

Back to God Again

The God thing still eludes me:

what is God, I wonder

with all pretensions removed?

Is God a person? A concept?

A saviour? A judge? A creator?

Is it really the origin of all that is?

Everyone has a different idea

of what God is or should be.

Matters not if I enter a church

or seek answers on the street:

I’m sure to get an earful

of mega confused thinking.

Most people believe in God

but find two people

who completely agree

on what the concept really is-

impossible!

How about a narrower concept:

A God of love, perhaps?

Yet those who believe this

are often the worst offenders

against the law of love.

Is God everything?

Good and evil equally?

Is God separate, but in all things?

Is God apart from what is marred

by the passage of evil?

Is every intelligent entity

equally God as is now claimed?

Preposterous, all of it, I say

God is that which foolishness

has put forth to hide itself

from itself.

Do I need God? Yes,

if I refuse to live the law of love

or fail to live my integrity.

Being God

Being God is not arrogance.

but awareness of who I am.

Being God

is loving energies, forces, people.

Being God

is relinquishing control over creation.

Being God

is bringing happiness

or sadness – some like this -

into life: a simple matter of choice.

Being God

is the ability to make choices

knowing their power to manifest

exactly as thought and spoken:

God says… and so it is…

Big Words

Abstemious, bicephalous, convolvulaceous,

digitigrade, erotomania, flavescent, glossolalia,

hebdomad, isomorph, jonquil, kyphosis

logomachy, malversation, nihilism, onomastics,

paronomasia, quidnunc, rudimentary,

semiabstract, traditionalism, unidirectional,

vaporization, whirligig, xenodiagnosis,

yataghan, zoophagous.

That’s a list of some big, BIG BIG WORDS.

I can’t spell these words,

I can’t use these words,

I don’t know why they have them,

I don’t know what they mean,

I’ll never understand these words

I’ve lived all these years without ‘em

got along fine with the little guys

and yet… and yet…I can’t help myself:

I SAVOUR THE AMBROSIAL QUALITY

OF THOSE GRANDIOSE ARTICULATIONS!

(d’ya get my drift?)

(the Laughing Poet looks)

Churchless

What is the driving force

within the confines of a church?

The Lord Jesus Christ?

The presence of hell on the outside?

Or blood money flowing within?

Pretend you’re a successful evangelist

bringing in thousands of lost souls

within the walls of God’s churches;

suppose all they contributed

was a new found faith – no money!

how long before

they’re sternly shown the door?

If money no longer flowed;

if churches went bankrupt in the land,

would people worry how to upload

their daily quota of acquired sins

without access to God.com?

Would they feel a great emptiness

for no answers received

after months of prayer to a silent idol?

Would they feel a great loss

when miracles cease to happen on cue

(between commercials)

come Sunday morning’s TV offering?

Would their god shrivel like an I. O. U.

in a miser’s hand at death’s door?

Perhaps some would see

their own light shine in the darkness,

learn to say: there is now

none other before me!

Competitive Sports

Must there really be competitive sports?

Feel the scorn, the put downs

as fans yell:

“My grandmother plays better

and runs faster too!’

and let the ‘loser’

feel like a slacker, feel stupid,

let him become an outcast,

the butt of jokes and sarcasm.

The one who wins is the hero of the day,

but he too may lose, and then what?

Same treatment as for the other!

Can it not be admitted competitive sports

contribute to separation and judgment?

Can we not say they

breed anger and violence towards

the opponent… the “enemy”?

What’s this senseless need to win?

What is “won”?

accept all comers for what they are:

sit down together (after the race)

laugh about it all!

The one who teaches us most

about who we are

is always the so-called loser,

Does God Care?

They say the God of the Bible

loves the people he created;

so much so that when they sin

or forget to bring him sacrifices,

he judges them, condemns them,

sends them straight to hell

to burn in torment for eternity.

It seems logical, does it not,

since he created them in his image

and can’t be but what he made them,

that he should be the one

to take first place in the fires of hell?

Some would say such a God can hear

when you say bad things about him.

I don’t think he hears anything at all;

but if he does,

he’s terrified to answer:

I think he’s been deprived of his old power

by an elite Cosmic ‘court’.

When we accept this simple fact,

we’ll no longer clutter our minds

with this sort of ranting and raving.

We shall be free within our own thoughts…

finally – Yes!

And Sunday morning shall find me enjoying

life on a nude beach. Blessed be!

Does Prayer Work

They say God

is not the Genie in the Bottle:

He won’t give you three wishes…

Yet in the same breath

they’ll tell you that prayer works:

that God answers prayers.

OK, I’ll grant you that.

Now let’s get logical about this:

if prayer works

then God must grant every “prayer;”

if He does not

then prayer does not “work”

but becomes a heavenly lottery:

“Let’s see: who’s the lucky winner today?”

Since there is no reference book

to find out what prayers God does grant;

what He won’t grant,

then one must ask “Why pray at all?”

I don’t buy lottery tickets:

I figure they’re a tax on stupidity -

and I figure prayer is in the same category.

Let’s just say I’ve seen too many people

Double Meaning

Why would God inspire writers

to pen “His Word” with double meaning?

Why not just come out and speak truth?

Say it in such a way there can never be

a doubt as to what is being meant?

I see but two ways out of this dilemma

of God having His way with man:

One: we destroy all vestiges of the Bible,

heave a great, overdue, sigh of relief

and live and love as we know we can

and no longer look over our shoulders

to see if “The Big Kahuna” is watching.

Two: we continue to give ear to “teachers”

who interpret the “Word”

as best they can, as best it pays!

But this method clearly shows,

there’s a leak in the bucket of salvation!

Some things get lost, surely

and meaning gets changed each time

an interpretation is handed down.

Or maybe it’s all the work of man:

maybe I should give up the carrot on the stick;

go to the restaurant for a decent meal

and pay the cook and tip the waiter

instead of the one who so boldly speaks

of multiplication of bread and fish

Edging God Out

A cold Spring morning

finds me walking along the shore

(once more) and the sea tosses

after a passing storm.

I feel wet crushed stones crunch

under my leather boots.

My feet are dry and warm;

I am well dressed

for this kind of weather, and yet

I feel cold within:

cold thoughts tossing –

the cold grey sea is now at home

inside my head.

So I ask the sea:

What does it mean to have an ego?

is it a bad thing?

Why must I rid myself of this “affliction”?

Some wag I came across before

called it “Edging God Out”

and it makes me wonder.

Does having an ego

means I’ve edged God out of my life?

(In which case, what’s the problem?)

Or does it mean that when I get rid of it

only then will I also be free of God?

No more ego, no more God?

Ultimate freedom to be myself?

I realize many are really scared

to live a “godless” life –

though you can’t tell any difference

between the godly and godless these days –

pretty much one melting pot

of stagnating selfish ooze,

but apart from fear, what’s to fear?

I think I can figure this one out:

If I have an EGO – I’ve Edged God Out

to be “myself” and no looking over the shoulder

to see if I’ve pleased or displeased

some imaginary divinity.

Now I hope I can do the good

I’ve always known I could

and always known I should –

without justification or blame

Entering Heaven

Hah! I hear you say, heaven, indeed:

who knows what that means?

Who has been there and come back

to assure the rest of us that such a place exists?

Yet, I must ask this: If there is no such place;

if life is this and nothing else,

why don’t we all live the same lives,

experience the same things?

We say “hope springs eternal in the human breast…”

and I ask you: where then, does hope come from?

So, let me say this:

if humans lived a life of pure, blissful love

for each other, for all things making life beautiful,

wouldn’t that in itself qualify as heaven?

Why do we have to think that “heaven”

is necessarily some place else?

Why couldn’t earth be heaven?

Don’t get mad, don’t get upset…

its just a thought…

or perhaps too much of a challenge?

Forgiveness or Perfection?

Why do only humans

go in darkened buildings

to pray at some altar

light candles,

burn incense

and ask forgiveness

from gods of plaster and wood?

Why not other forms of life

considered less evolved,

hence less perfect than man?

After much reflection,

I now understand this much:

could it be

these simpler life forms

only see themselves

as perfect in their own eyes?

knowing that God,

does not create sinners,

Freedom of Nature

I envision a pastel blue sky,

a light breeze blowing warm air,

gently stimulating, softy massaging;

I imagine others like myself,

walking nude as in expressions of Eden

in such a beautiful world:

free and shameless.

While this beautiful vision

seems right to me,

the majority has other ideas

of propriety and moral codes of conduct.

Would not men turn into sex animals

and rape our women?

say the paranoid and neurotic.

Will not people defecate wherever they walk?

inquire the decorous and foolish.

What would protect us from the elements?

ask the fearful and the apprehensive.

I believe if people went nude

(on suitably warm and dry days)

becoming gently aware of their connectedness

to the energy of all things,

within the fragility of our human bodies;

walking softly on beaches, meadows or sidewalks,

laughing in innocence and freedom,

it would be but a short time

before the idea of wearing clothes

just to cover one’s physical nakedness

would seem quite outlandish.

I wonder when people

will choose to grow up and face life

as it was always meant to be experienced:

in a natural expression of who we are

perfect in motion,

unguarded in freedom,

perfect in choice

with a smile of love

for all things, including ourselves?

Heaven Or Hell

A belief

in a future

heaven

creates

a present

hell;

because

your thoughts

are trapped

in the

moment!

Poetry Mechanics

‘Word Mechanics’… are as a mindset pox,

restricting thought to only in ‘The Box’.

Those who choose to scribe free-verse

saying “to hell” with grammar mechanics

may find it greatly expands mindset’s range.

So to free my verse and say what I mean,

(and mean what I say) I say:

there’s them that’d fail you

in a simple driver’s test

‘cause you didn’t know the difference

between a spark plug and a transmission

even though your record shows

you have impeccable driving skills.

Mechanics are skilled individuals

to fix what’s wrong with your car;

they’re not your taxi driver,

nor the only ones licensed to drive!

The same goes with moving words

as with driving cars:

Poets, traditionally,

are much like the prophets in their day:

they observe their society,

record their times in verse

that others may take warning

or may find hope in the way.

I cannot imagine Michelangelo

painting by numbers… and

I cannot see word mechanics -

those who put words before meaning -

bringing joy to a world of sorrow;

guidance to a world in chaos;

love where hate still rules;

or expressing passionately

a brief moment of suspense

when the drunken husband comes home

to find his victim-wife gone forever

God Calling Collect

Sunday morning:

Preacher ready to dance and yell

a sermon so carefully written just five minutes ago;

cut and pasted from a year ago:

“YESSS! Praise the Computer”

One leg in the air, arms raised,

and his helper interrupts:

“It’s the Lord, sir. He’s on the phone again!”

“That’s the second time this week!

What does he want now?

Doesn’t he know what day this is?”

“He says he wont be able to make the service-

He wants to explain…”

“No more collect calls from heaven,

he can go to hell for all I care.”

“Well Pastor, there’s been some trouble at the exchange:

the board is meeting in hell he says.”

“Fine, I don’t care. I bust my ass,

I do his dirty work and he can’t even come and watch?

One more service for him and he don’t show,

I do the next one for the Devil.

At least he shows up, even when not wanted.”

The Preacher glared at his congregation:

“What are all of you staring at?

get on your knees and pray, sinners!

Yes, pray,

for hell is but a call away!”

Talking With God

There is a saying I’ve heard;

“If I ever see God, I’ll whip His holy ass”

well, I first thought that was a good saying,

and I used it a lot when talking to Christians:

I just enjoyed seeing their horrified reaction;

but the more I think about it,

I find it’s not such a great thing to say.

Isn’t it just more talk of violence?

of some deep-seated hope I can get even?

There has to be a better way.

I think I would rather talk to God;

ask him why he did what he did,

or if he did it at all.

Ask if the Bible should be taken as the truth,

or just another hodgepodge of information

from some other time maybe better forgotten?

Maybe remind Him that his followers

still insist they must carry on the old ways

of wiping out non-believing enemies

to get their gold (I mean, their oil)

as He so carefully instructed Joshua

as regards the people of Jericho

and all surrounding lands –

Yes, that genocidal thing the Hebrews

were to do for God at that time.

I’m sure if I bring it up diplomatically

He won’t turn me into a toadstool.

I’m not so sure He’ll be willing to listen

however… Sad.

Is God Love?

What does

“God is love”

really mean?

Is it a universal ‘truth’?

Is its corollary

“Love is God”

valid?

Does love

come from God,

or does “God”

emanate

from the love

energy?

A Love Note From God

I got a strange letter in the mail this morning -

it said, and I quote:

‘Good morning, this is God!

I will be handling all your problems today;

I do not need your help, thank you.

So, have a good day, I love you.’

Well, I thought I was having a good day,

then I caught the flu – OK, so I can’t blame God

for a moment of inattention to detail,

but then I walked to town

and I lost my wallet on the street – OK,

so God wanted to give money to someone

I guess that’s acceptable;

but then I got arrested! Someone said

they saw me rob the bank on the corner:

I protested vehemently: How can I rob a bank

when God is handling my problems -

all day – He told me so in a letter!

I screamed at the cops!

I’m writing this from the psych ward,

a bit sedated, but hey, not so bad,

except for the restraints.

Thanks God, thanks for trying,

but don’t you get it?

Every time you meddle in human affairs,

You make a mess of everything.

Please, since you couldn’t even keep the peace

in your heaven,

(all hell broke loose up there, and don’t deny it,

I got your word on that one!)

can’t you leave us alone

and go love an artichoke, or something?

I know there are humans who really believe

that you care; that you love them -

kind of pathetic, don’t you see -

that whatever they credit you for

they did or didn’t do themselves?

Please God, can’t you get a life?

Stray Thoughts

I look for friends,

simple understanding, even love

in the strangest places:

I’ve been to paradise and back:

I was given life,

not guarantees or promises

for none are needed, anymore.

I’ve met with the Goddess:

she teaches me simplicity

in things I deemed impossible.

I trust her, her friends

are family now, the others gone

and now, as Esther said to Mordecai:

“If I perish, I perish.”

Sunny Weather

A comment often heard

during a stretch of sunny weather:

“This is such lovely weather

why can’t it be like this all the time?”

But if I were to comment back:

“ Well we really need rain --

like maybe a month of it

the fields are parched.”

they’d look at me

as if I’d lost my last marble.

Amazing what processed food

has done to people’s minds.

Food comes from the supermarket

or from the commercial greenhouse.

It seems the weather

no longer has any bearing on this.

These people’s parents could still see

that if it were sunny all the time

the rivers would dry up,

the fields turn to deserts;

and without water,

what then?

I think these days

the only thing they’d worry about

is having to leave the “Seadoo”

on its trailer at the beach.

The Ten Commandments

A kind hearted woman once told me:

“If we all lived by the Ten Commandments

the world would be a better place:

no more street crime, no more fornication,

no more hate or murder; no more wars.”

I thought, hey, what if?

The Man Without a Face whispered:

“Does love come harnessed in laws?

People try to live by endless rules

made to control them as cattle and sheep;

to keep them wallowing in fear;

to keep them from discovering

the true joy of shared freedom!

When you break down walls

called judgment, condemnation,

you set yourself free to soar

on the ever-changing winds of freedom

and your much abused world

becomes more like a place

one could possibly call home some day.

You still don’t understand?

Look around you when out in nature

and note what “commandments”

are followed by the birds and bees:

these you should pay heed to,

and let the fools fall on their knees

who pray to deaf and dumb idols

who make rules that benefit

only those in places of power.

Uncommon Wisdom?

Forget writing poetry;

they say:

accept our 101 ways

of making t-shirts in a factory!”

That pretty well spells common wisdom.

But… say there were no factories

manufacturing ‘goods’ (and bads?)

few of us need;

say there were

no enforcement of guilt and shame

(it’s called advertising and peer pressure)

upon those who don’t drive the latest cars;

purchase the hottest gadgetry;

wear the latest fashion joke…

what would there be?

It’s now imagination time:

Imagine

no smog-making factories;

no paved-over miles of vital soil;

no monster trucks ripping up the hills;

no towering high-rises housing fear

and planners of expendability.

Imagine

lush green forests,

sparkling lakes and crystal streams

reflecting a pristine wilderness;

birds perched in swaying branches

singing the rebirth of Earth?

Some may think

this is not possible,

or necessary,

yet

dreams possess

the seed of reality:

and such seeds create choices.

Which will we choose

Ode To The Out-House

When man learned to live in groups,

he had to dispose of his daily wastes.

Of necessity, he invented the shovel

and wherever he went, he dug holes:

some to gather water, some to defecate in.

The holes soon became too numerous

and too dangerous, not to mention

the ever-present odour wafting over

the little walled-in settlements.

Unwilling to accept the land’s offer

to let him roam freely from forest to plain,

he invented the out-house,

a place of relief and meditation;

a GIANT step forward in evolution.

(Had he foreseen such meditation

would lead to organized religion,

he might have reconsidered,

but he didn’t and he didn’t.)

The hole was dug, the house was built,

it’s use enforced by Official Statute.

Sadly, inevitably, the hole filled up

and the nauseous smell rose up once more,

so the house was moved, the hole covered

and that problem solved—out of smell, out of mind…

But, someone fell in one day and drowned,

unpleasantly: there was an odorous funeral

followed by a strike of shovel operators:

a series of problems led to the invention

of the well-known flusher: now man’s wastes

could flow directly into his waterways: yet ANOTHER

giant step in evolution!

Illusion Of Hell

Human life creates pictures

reminiscent of scriptural hells:

lust, greed, oppression and discord

clatter side by side, crash together

in endless dissonance…

We know, we know, we know,

life is meant to be free;

birds fly the air currents,

flowers bloom in profusion:

they do not hoard, nor pay rent

to the landlord.

Man is a very smart creature

so I was told in school:

he lords it over the Earth

yet lives in endless fear

of losing what he cannot keep.

Ah! Illusion; all is illusion

and the hell created disappears

when one like me greets one like you

with a simple ‘I love you.’

The Face Of God

What is God? OK, Who is God?

Is there an answer to those questions?

(Religious interpretations don’t count.)

Does the universe hide God’s identity,

presenting as proof of credentials

(that such an entity exists at all)

the created “order” of things?

Finding a car on the side of the road

does not prove the existence of General Motors:

just that someone made it.

Ah but what if it has a brand name?

OK – what’s God’s brand name? The Bible?

That makes me laugh so hard it hurts!

Let’s take God as a trinity - pretty basic:

Spirit, Father and Son (sorry ladies, men only!)

One: Spirit that animates all things – including God!

Two: a Father who is the dreamer

Three: a Son – the created part of God’s thought -

the one who interacts with all his creation

in his dream.

Let’s break it down some more: gods.

Animated by Spirit, they come into existence.

Alone – so they think.

They dream companionship: a new world

(as big or small as you want it to be)

They project themselves into their creation:

The “son” is the inter-actor in their dream.

And they also observe themselves interacting.

Some “push” the dream, make impossible demands;

create rules of conduct, maximizing polarity:

these are the dictators:

you don’t want to find yourself created there!

Then, they wake up – the dream ends

and they go on with their regular routine:

for many of them, that means kindergarten…

Yes, gods are usually just kids playing.

Simple, isn’t it?

Unreality

Day by day

and for so long now

I’ve been losing touch,

losing my faith,

closing my eyes to reality.

The morning sun rises

faithfully each day

draping the hills in warm colours:

I can see it;

I can feel it;

I can no longer touch it.

Caught, stuck, mired

in the daily unreality

of my world’s madness

I move about

like an ant without purpose

searching for my crumbs

like billions of other ants

and the crumbs dwindle:

Should I give up

this pointless chasing after the wind?

Should I turn spurn the hand outs

from hands withered by greed?

Should I walk away tonight

and tomorrow, touch the sunrise?

Kill your Creator

Warping out of sub-space

somewhere in the near cosmic clouds

I saw a sign that read:

Want to attain cosmic freedom?

You must kill your creator!

My heart skipped a beat or two

thinking I’d programmed my trajectory wrong

and ended up on Hell’s highway

but there was no burning sulphur

and no grinning demons with pitchforks -

just the usual flag people

in gaudy reflective vests –

So, I thought – must be cosmic graffiti

but it was too well done, too professional

and with a trademark logo to boot.

Had to be for real. And I wondered:

kill my Creator? Why?

Why not? Said the Voice

Who are you? I said

and how’d you get aboard this ship?

I’ve always been here… this is my ship.

Can’t be. This is interstellar cruiser Suave

(from Earth, if you must know)

and it belongs to my family.

Well, yes, of course it does.

That’s why I’m on it; why it’s mine.

I’m you, idiot. Why don’t you ever listen?

Me? What am I doing here… I mean –

Oh, never mind. What’s with killing God?

Who said anything about killing God?

The sign did. You did.

I did not. I did ask a rhetorical question

somewhat on the subject.

But the sign said nothing about God

it said, oh, just read back the tape.

Let me make it short and sweet for you -

and you’d understand already

if you’d ever learned to trust me –

all the sign meant was:

let go of all pre-conceived notions.

Let go of all not experientially true.

Let go of all belief systems.

Trust yourself only.

After all, that’s who you live for.

So Much To Ask?

I’ll be fifty, come October:

is it so much to ask

for a little more time

out of clothes in the sun?

On my favourite river

in canoe or kayak,

paddling floating, spinning, or

swimming along the shore;

sometimes even with a friend?

Will it wear out the sun

to tan me all over?

Will my naked body crush the sand

lying there dreaming or

watching white gulls against blue sky?

Should I feel guilty

when I just want to be

quietly, silently wondering;

walking lightly upon the earth,

leaving but a footprint or two

in a muddy bank?

The beavers don’t care,

so why should your God,

your so-called laws,

or misbegotten morality?

Please just leave me be!

Promises Or Delivery?

God promises, Satan delivers.

Ain’t it the truth…

I got a strange letter in the mail today,

it said: Hi, I’m Satan. I’ll be handling

all aspects of your life today.

I don’t need your help – just have a good day.

Hmmm, I thought, pretty strange,

but then I went up town

and as I passed by an unsavory hotel,

a young woman came rushing out,

grabbed my hand, led me to her room

and we made love for two whole hours!

Damn, that was good!

Then as I passed a bank, a robbery was going on.

Two guys ran out waving guns

and people were screaming as the alarm went off.

As they got in their get-away car

one dropped a suitcase full of money -

I grabbed it and kept on going.

Yeah, that was pretty good too.

Then when I came home around noon

my neighbour’s wife came over to my place;

she tore her clothes off and said:

I’ve had the hots for you long enough:

take me! And I did. She’s great!

You gotta admit, this guy delivers the goods!

Like he says:

if you gotta live in a screwed up world,

You may as well enjoy the best of it:

sex, money and… sex.

I’m sure there’s more but it’s still early.

Prime Mover Of Sin

In judgment sin is imperfection, but

isn’t it beingness in experience?

The whole creation by definition

is ‘sin’!

If we admit that creation is imperfect

(sin is found in it: vice, violence, death)

In judgment we must condemn creation

and that which created, which is called God!

For God created all things good

yet bad they went, then worse

so they say, so we observe.

But we’re also told nothing exists

that God did not create!

We’re also told that we ourselves

are but the pure image of our Maker!

Let’s follow this simple thought

to some logical conclusion

and see where that leaves us.

The people who wrote the Bible

never intended to demonstrate

this undeniable truth:

that God is the Prime Mover of Sin

yet no other conclusion

may be drawn from their record.

-Your witness! -

One Falls Out

A child of autumn

in falling gold

and waning sunshine;

a bucket of golden apples

clenched in tiny fist;

a large black cat

draped on a tired arm:

Is God Behind You?

It’s OK to see the world

through rose-colored glasses…

It’s OK to see the world

through the eyes of religion…

It’s OK to see the world

from any vantage point you choose,

but know this:

Reality is still reality,

and God notwithstanding

it’s up to me, it’s up to you

to make it a better place.

But don’t worry, if God is behind you:

He’s a master at taking credit

for all the work you do.

Inner Voice

Ever wonder why a preacher

repeats his message over and over;

The same prayers repeated endlessly

begging, beseeching, calling?

If his God is that deaf,

perhaps he should be told

to invest in a hearing-aid.

Ever wonder why politicians

follow the same pattern, use the same rules

so full of sound and fury;

spewing out words which, when threshed

leave but chaff?

When you must repeat yourself;

walk a certain way, talk a certain way,

pray with hands just so;

follow strict rules of conduct

to maintain a semblance of harmony:

does life validate itself

within such narrow definitions?

I think man is taught

to stifle his inner voice;

to drown out his conscience,

giving a semblance of meaning

to a meaningless tick-tock life.

Is God On Vacation? Or Just Out To Lunch?

I got a question:

does God only ‘grant’ general stuff,

like faith, courage, serenity, peace

but can’t or won’t do specific stuff

like building me a home

where the Buffalo roam,

or putting a million dollars in my account,

or a parking space near Wal-Mart?

Ok, well maybe he’s on extended leave,

gallivanting in another dimension

with Miss Universe?

He packed his bags, slipped down a ladder,

snuck out of heaven

through an old black hole that hadn’t been sealed

and the last thing anyone saw

was a huge Cheshire cat grin fading out…

Or he’s holed up at the donut shop

dunkin’ and forgot about time?

But just maybe, just maybe,

we really are going it alone

but too afraid of the responsibility;

of the scary thought we’re in charge,

– no one else—

and we can really make this old world

a better place to live in;

a much happier place

without

you know who.

The Ant People

The dawn is braking in mid stride,

brakes are stuck, smoke arises

High in the mountains,

(those mountains are higher than a kite,

higher than I, I might add)

the sun’s burning a hole

‘cause of all that concentrated heat…

and the air conditioning has stopped

The mountains melt into a hole

deep into the ground it goes,

signals to the ant people

to come a crawling back to the top:

to them it means the ant God has relented

has come back to fix the anthill

give permission to run amuck over the ground

and once more, make a holey mess…

ommmm… scrunchchchchchc… ommmmm!

The Beef Cow

Across acres of lush grass lands,

in a place where the wolf is forbidden to hunt

(and lucky for the wolf!),

tramples the ponderous beef cow,

dropping its droppings where it pleases;

sitting in its droppings when it pleases.

We feed it every kind of hybrid grain;

pump it full of chemicals

and there it grows: fat, fatter, fattest!

To the slaughter house goes the cow,

dismembered but not disempowered,

it moves to the butcher shop and grocery store,

in time to lay sizzling happily on the backyard barbecue

and proudly preside at a summer ritual: family feud!

Your gut gurgles away to strike a balance

between beer and meat

and between mouthfuls, curses and meaningful gestures

at someone you think you know B but don’t,

you digest all those questionable chemicals.

Now maybe, just maybe, you die of botulism, or cancer

or something they haven’t got a name for yet

and before your beer is even flat

you’re peacefully six feet under…

And as you slowly turn to yummy food

for the creepy crawlies in nightshirts,

you see that damn cow you thought you’d had

chewing its cud in the moon and laughing

The Wooden Box

Searching for remnants of ancient times,

I came across a rotting wooden box

covered in sand and dust

housing a heavy, dog-eared book.

As I bent down to pick it up,

gusts of wind tore at my coat

as if to push me away from my discovery.

Kneeling down in the wind’s insistent pull,

I let it brush away dust and cobwebs:

on the book’s cover, I read “Holy Bible”

and realized I had stumbled inside a church;

a last remaining stronghold

of earth’s priestly class

of people trying to keep alive

their old concept of a sky wizard,

a god of error and terror childishly imagined

as living forever in some cartoon heaven

of slavish servants and angels on harps

of harmonies for no one to hear

but imaginings in empty, frozen reaches

of their mind’s shrunken inner space!

In that old time, as I must conclude

they had come to realize their god existed

but flattened between the confined spaces

of a book’s dog-eared mouldy pages;

prisoned from change within old wooden coffins

where a stale breath of air wafted weakly

and remained as still as in a grave.

When You Pray, God Works

A church billboard proclaims:

“When You Pray God Works”

Two reasons to call such a claim as false:

the first, and obvious, is stated clearly in their Bible,

that their God

(and they’re so quick to remind you theirs is the only One)

completed all of his works, in all their vast array,

on the sixth day of creation, declared it good,

and on the seventh day rested from all of his labors.

One would think that even ignorant preachers

would know this much from their procedural manual,

and their CEO: that he took early and permanent

retirement and that is that, according to the book.

The second, perhaps most poignant,

and most disturbing reason would be this:

that billions pray, every day, several times a day,

all of them to this One and Only almighty God

who promised to heed the prayers of the faithful,

and what do we see? A world so lost;

a world as much in demonic perdition;

abandoned, given over, enslaved to greed

as any science-fiction world ever described;

a world wherein licentiousness and murder are thought virtuous;

a world every day closer to becoming a garbage dump

and no improvements in sight——

this is the result of prayer?

This is how God works?

Or perhaps it’s time God’s followers realized

their God has at the very least an inkling of intelligence

and has become utterly fed up with mere lip service?

Their book talks of self-sacrifice to gain sanctification:

apart from some crazed suicide bomber,

Where Is God

Why so much suffering and sorrow?

Why the poor, the weak and the helpless?

Why the suffering of children in war zones?

Does God not hear their cries?

An old man remains alive years beyond his time

and a friend gives thanks to God

for keeping his body alive, if unable to move:

there, God cannot heal,

but He can use modern medicine for miracles!

A plane crashes in a mountain

and two hundred people die in the tragedy,

and I find myself asking – not “Why?”

but “Where is God today?”

If God can keep one decrepit body alive,

surely He can save two hundred people

from such a horrible and fiery death?

Surely someone on that plane

begged the Man upstairs for help this day?

Surely they were not all perverted sinners

deserving such dreadful punishment?

And so I ask: why save one half dead,

but let two hundred healthy ones die?

The answer lies in the question:

I don’t blame nor credit God for this –

There is a greater force, certainly

that determines the outcome

of every experience we face in life:

that also goes for “God” like it or not.

Space Travel

Science fiction or reality?

Space crafts propelled by phantom drives;

by anti-gravity; by the spice mélange;

by ‘warp’ or space-folding energy:

people traveling across space

from galaxy to galaxy

following worm holes

in the blink of an eye: here, there…

To many this is but science fiction

but what if some have lived this reality?

Experienced in pain or joy, the discoveries

brought about by living aboard such ships?

Perhaps there is a place for new paradigms;

for believing the unbelievable;

a place where we can safely listen to such tales;

intuiting where logic wants to stop us.

Here, we might begin to conceive

how we can indeed travel to the stars;

and perhaps infinitely beyond!

If God Built Robots

‘Tis said God made man in his image,

which included the gift of free will --

Is it so wonderful to have free will?

Why would a creator god grant such a gift?

Seems to me since “god” isn’t talking

I have to look at time and history

to get my answer to such a weird question:

Why did God give free will to man,

especially knowing what the future would bring?

Ah well, it’s quite simple you see:

God is probably the smartest inventor of all --

and he knew if he made robots

and they malfunctioned – he’d have to act on that;

he’d have to take responsibility for his machines -

either fix them, re-design them or destroy them.

But if he gave man “free will” it was the perfect cop-out:

whatever man does now is not God's fault --

man has free will and he can do whatever he wishes --

or so we are supposed to think…

until we stub our toes on the Ten Commandments!

Say what? Thou shalt not do this or that?

But, I thought I had free will -- that I could do this or that

and not have to worry about the creator's feelings --

so what is it I’m not getting?

Do I have free will, or don’t I?

If I do, there are no laws, and there’s no sin!

But if there are divine decrees, laws, taboos

and there is punishment for breaking these in some way,

then obviously, I don’t have free will.

Not a bad scam, God. And you got away with it

for many thousand years -- until now.

“Fess up: the game’s up. You’ve been found out.

You’ve lied to, and royally cheated, earth humanity

so you could set up a bureaucracy of religions

to milk the saps for all they were worth.

Thanks for nothing, God.

“Sport” Hunting

Autumn’s V-shaped formations

echo across the morning sky,

but on lakes and seashores,

gun shots shatter a fragile tranquility:

bullets fly, wounding, killing,

tired children who only seek a quiet place

to rest, to eat, to regain strength

for the long journey still ahead.

Some humans can only reason thus:

an increase in wildlife population

equates more “game” which means more “sport”

which their lust for killing brings:

they even have a euphemism for this horror:

they call it “harvesting!”

How sad man refuses to accept this fact:

his life is equal to all other

and nature knows no special children.

Which life is the most sacred:

that of a stone upon the river’s edge;

a blade of grass waving in the wind;

a gull soaring a thermal, a drop of water

sliding softly along the edge of a leaf,

a truck driver in his rig…

a king upon his throne?

There is no real difference, you see?

It is in understanding and accepting this

that life and love will blossom upon this land

as it was always meant to do!

God’s Blessings?

To those who insist

God blesses them with their good things

I’d like to propose this:

Leave all your good things behind

re-locate to some Third World country

where poverty, disease and famine

are the order of the day:

will the same good things keep coming?

To any thinking person, it’s quite clear

only a very sick “god”

would condemn millions to daily starvation

while filling the trough of the fat cats.

Fortuitous circumstances,

protection by powerful military machines,

not God

determine who gets and who loses;

so it has always been

and so it will continue to be

until we realize our personal responsibility

Gorgeous Day

Have you ever heard

when it is beautifully warm and sunny,

the complainers who say it is too hot

or too bright,

dangerous for the eyes or for the skin?

Then they add:

“We need a good rain to cool things off,

and get rid of the smog!”

But as soon as a few grey clouds

wander around up there,

threatening to do just that,

the complainers are at it again!

Now it’s too muggy and damp,

and when a few drops scatter in the dust,

it’s immediately too cold and wet

too miserable to do anything outside!

They can’t wait for the next sunny day

to brighten things up…

so they have something to complain about?

Little do they realize it is their thoughts,

bereft of the slightest hope or flicker of light,

that is affecting their world that way;

not the weather, not the earth,

not even God!

For always, our reality comes from within

and the mouth speaks the overflow of the heart.

Ode to the Flush Toilet

It was evolutionarily inevitable

that man would discover the flush toilet:

no more cold walks and frozen buns

and tickling spiders weaving below the rim

hoping to catch a whopping meal…

though, on the down side of the ledger,

fewer moonlight strolls or moons exposed…

Now you sit and meditate in full cosiness

within the warmth of your gas-fired pipes

while the little fan above sings its merry tune…

Ah! the modern toilet, where the best of

devotional reading eventually finds its way…

Flip a chrome handle and the power of water

swirling in great vortices, round and round

sucks your wastes down the tunnel of smells

to the sewage treatment plant, the cave

of re-creation… or on to the sea of forgetfulness…

All is joy and harmony until the kid

flushes his sister’s hamster down the hole

and it gets stuck somewhere in the return bend.

Now you face the price of comfort: penance!

Either you disassemble the entire system

all the while threatening to put the brat

in the spot where you dug out the rat,

or you call the dreaded plumber

who charges an arm, a leg and all your cash,

to exorcize the throne and once more

make the blessings flow.

The Book

How to respond to those who claim

it’s not necessary to have an encounter with God

for all that needs to be known of God

is in The Book?

Pretty simple: imagine a family man

tired of putting up with family matters,

being there for them, paying bills,

responsibility for wife and kids’ well-being

caught in an endless variety of duties:

“Enough of that!” says he.

At the office, he sits at his computer

and writes a book for his family -

and he calls it “the Father’s Book”.

After several re-writes, he gets it right

and finally gives it to his wife one Sunday morning.

There you are, dear.

All you need from me; all you need to know

you will find in “The Father’s Book” and leaves

never to be seen again by either wife or kids.

The family struggles and survives without him.

The wife dutifully reads the book everyday

and makes the children listen also.

Copies are made and distributed at great cost and hardship,

amongst laughter and derision…

But the “unseen husband” becomes popular

from the love and dedication of the wife:

the children become interpreters of “The Father’s Book.”

Eventually a gathering forms around the myth:

the disappeared husband becomes famous…

The Devil

Hey, here goes: I’m in the mood for casting

another blasphemous thought towards long-forgot Eden.

Please duck: I can’t vouchsafe for my aim!

They say the Devil was once good

until dreaded “sin” was found in him… Oh, my!

That’s a hell of a predicament for the poor guy!

Some people are quick to say that all bad things

are the doings of that nefarious fellow from hell:

(the Devil made me do it.) and all that.

The same people claim all good things come from God

(O thank you God, my payers are answered!)

But I must ask again: did not God create the Devil?

and that ‘sin’ found in him, who put it there?

Who lured the Devil into an unmatched war?

and who created hell? Who dictated pain and sorrow

and finally, death and hell to all in turn?

If I read my Bible even a little, it seems quite clear

God had the divine tantrum, and we suffered ever since

and the Devil became just another victim along the way.

‘Cause I’m told God created absolutely everything,

and you see – sin – is certainly something.

(It must be: God – and those who speak for him

make such a thing of it!)

Not only so… remember God created all things good.

I have to conclude that sin is good.

Make a liar of God: say otherwise… and don’t blame me,

I’m not the author of the Bible, just my own thoughts.

Who Created God

One day I asked a religious person:

Who created God?

Predictably, the answer was: no one.

It is generally assumed that “God”

must of necessity precede creation

since the title of Creator

is also ascribed to this entity.

Everything comes from something else.

That is how it is with nature.

If God exists entirely outside nature,

what kind of being is that?

How can it know anything about life

if it manifests outside of life?

Are we just toys or trinkets

in the hands of some cosmic child?

Are we mindless automatons

that some creators made to serve them?

Yes, I know what religious books say,

and I know what preachers add to it all.

And I also know what the results of their thoughts

have been on this world.

I have experienced the love of religion

and that’s an ouch!

I have had friends who insisted

I needed to be saved

and have my sins forgiven -

but discovered my ‘sins’ were less evil

than the collective ways of any Saviours.

Obviously – this is no big trick to know -

God is the Big Stick

invented by psychopaths to beat up

on people they are not able to outsmart

in the real world.

Word Mechanics

There are those a-plenty

who cling to form, rhythm and rhyme

creating their “poetry” from such -

and one must wonder why!

So much meaning lost

in silly attempts at embellishment

by wanna-be’s and lazy bees

to emulate the great poets of the past -

but is it only pride that moves here?

Oh no! ‘Tis ignorance, you see:

they have so little to say;

not having the gift of either

oratory or observation:

so they primp and pad and pamper

their miserable offerings

and turn to prejudice and name-calling

when someone plainly states

what’s plain to see

but requires a heart to say -

a heart, a kind of courage,

they, as yet, do not possess.

But time, my friends,

is a forgiving concept,

and good it is we were given some:

there’s always hope for change

as long as time remains.

Losing Your Marbles

When you feel

a period of “dumbness”

coming your way

to assault your crowded mind

and shatter your carefully laid plans,

don’t just sit there helpless and despondent:

simply go and buy a bag of marbles:

the cheap glass kind with paper colours inside…

then open your mouth wide

and stuff them in all at once…

As you see yourself acting

the fool, the dummy,

on your own little stage of life,

spit just one marble out at a time.

Continue to do this

until all your marbles have been

successfully discarded.

When finally they are all gone,

you’ll be like a politician

with room to spare in there

to stick your foot (or even both) in it once more:

Now you can be

pure genius:

everyone can admire your wisdom,

and some may even pay you

for being truly dumb.

(A word of caution,

if you follow this wonderful advice:

Those who fall on your discarded marbles

may feel differently about your so-called wisdom!)

Religion

Common people feel

they need Religion,

deriving comfort

from promises

that claim something better

after this life is over -

but doesn’t that in itself

scream the obvious about Earth -

that something’s very wrong

when creatures of a world

feel that another life

must be better than this one -

and does that not beg the question:

“Why?”

Rulers, of course,

find many uses for Religion:

it can control and it can move -

and undesirables or subversives

can be deemed to belong

to an “illegal” religion

so they can be eliminated – righteously.

Religious elites -

what hasn’t been said about them! -

are the greatest salesmen of all.

They excel at selling nothing…

for a very high price!

How big a church does it take

to sell a shovelful of hope?

Now come the wise ones -

they don’t need Religion -

(and for that matter

neither do they play

with politics or money

but go their own way)

knowing, oh so well,

how foolish it is to hang onto

the love of an absentee god

or to think that some unknown place

God’s Will

A bedridden woman:

she cannot move,

cannot speak,

fed by a machine

through a tube;

more than one foot in the grave.

The debate goes on:

should she be kept breathing?

Or allowed to die?

Then someone comments:

‘Err on the side of life

let God decide.’

40,000 people die each day

from preventable causes,

mostly from starvation:

has God so decreed?

Is that God’s will?

Only silence

has anything to say

on that one.

You see, it’s easy to find

God’s will in these matters:

Just err on the side of profit --

and Gods will bless you.

Unrecognized and Nameless

I am the one

wearing the white bikini inside that big rubber tire -

standing behind the hotel desk to book you a room -

turning your head when you walk down the street -

walking your children to the park every day -

singing with angel voice for your entertainment -

dancing naked upon a garishly lit stage for you -

smiling under a veil and holding your hand shyly -

spending days under the sun picking berries -

waving from the terminal as your plane lifts off -

standing at a bedroom window so you can watch -

crying silently beside your bed in the hospital -

winning the gold in figure skating and smiling -

lying down with thinned gray hair and gnarled fingers to die -

begging for mercy as you take her to the stake -

walking the bruising streets in the world of prostitution -

disappearing every day never to be heard of again -

lying in your bed night after night -

standing beside you day by day;

knowing you from the moment of conception

- yet -

remaining unrecognized and nameless

in a darkening and shadowy world

of un-kept promises and failed dreams.

Unfortunately

While sitting unobtrusively in a pew

I heard the preacher say (quite clearly!)

“The Lord has spoken to me; He says:

you must all say baa! three times,

and bark like a dog twice,

while dancing on your tiptoes:

then reach into your wallet or purse

and bring out of them your hard-earned cash

so he can clearly see

the faith in this church still growing:

for he who obeys his master

will make it through the pearly gates

to live forever in his kingdom.”

As I sat quietly, doing nothing,

I was eventually stared upon by all

as if I’d committed some horrible sin

by not obeying the Lord’s request!

Well, I became fearful of consequences

afraid they might well be right

about ending up in that dreaded fiery pit

in the center of earth!

So I began repeating these mantras:

baa! baa! baa!; arf! arf!

and dancing ‘til my toes ached… ouch!

and pulled out all the money in my pocket,

even though deep within I understand

It is only I who creates

my own heaven and my own hell…

Then I woke up from this nightmare

and realized… that was hell:

the daily hell so many choose

for fear of damnation!

Who Is God?

I have learned

the Bible was written by men,

not by some ancient God of the heavens

because if the record shows him at his best

that’s pretty sad!

I have learned no one is waiting

to grant my every ‘prayer’ either

and that’s why I now must learn to say:

“I have the power

to change my life;

to change the way I think

to change the way I view the world.”

And how can I do this?

I begin by accepting who I am

and not allowing others

to tell me who I should be.

I do it by changing my thought patterns

which dictate how I interact with others;

by realizing I am not above any other

nor is any other above me.

I do it by creating my own paradigm

and no longer living the paradigms

created by those who enslave minds

to do their bidding.

Telephone Service

The lady dials 911-

panic: her apartment has burst into flame!

A recording answers with proper enunciation:

“Your call cannot be completed as dialed:

please check the number and dial again.”

She dials again: 911

“Overseas operator: can I help you?

“My house is burning!

“What country, please?

“Canada, of course: my house is burning!

“We have no such listing.

Please check your directory and try again.”

9,1,1: She dials again:

“911” came the Lily Tomlin reply,

“Can I help you?” snort, snort…

“Fire! My house is on fire!”

“Oh, would that be police, ambulance or fire?”

“My house is b…”

“Could you hold on a minute? The 649 draw is on!”

“But, my house is burning!”

“So? Talk to somebody who cares!”

Hang up, try again: 911

“Yes?” a booming Charlton Heston voice

answers.

“Can I help you?”

“My house is burning. Help!”

“I’m sorry, wrong number. This is Heaven.

If you want fire, dial S-A-T-A-N!

The Ten Commandments

The famous “ten” commandments

(someone once told me)

are not suggestions, or even requests:

they are, as stated, commandments – laws-

instituted by none other than the Almighty God.

That being the case they must be obeyed,

their purpose fulfilled

or there’ll be hell to pay – and don’t we know it!

Fine, I say, believe what you will;

here I am, watching you obey these commandments;

watching to see if in some way you fail

to do all that is required within.

Never have I seen anyone keep these commandments;

not even those who claim to fear the Lord

and I can’t help but wonder

how well imposed “laws” really work

in any system composed of sentient intelligence -

especially when the record indicates

that the very law giver

himself broke most of them:

(and perhaps all of them, who’s to tell?)

How many times did God kill innocents

just because he was mad at a few?

The flood comes to mind,

as does the genocidal invasion of the “Promised Land”.

How many times did God covet,

boldly claiming, “I am a jealous God

who punishes those who do not acknowledge me.”

How many times did God swear

(to do this or that, yet did not keep his sworn promises?)

I could go on. But the point is made.

The so-called “commandments” are politics,

pure and simple.

If you make the laws, you don’t have to keep them.

Split Personality

I was standing on the highway

both arms out this way

when a car bound easterly

and a car bound westerly

stopped simultaneously.

The drivers were angry,

yelled “get out of our way!”

but before they sped away,

I jumped with alacrity

and discovered unexpectedly

my split personality.

God’s Bribes

How often have I heard people

tell me of their blessings from God

and equally often have I wondered about that!

I’ve been hard up for money at times

and had to work odd jobs

or find supplemental income in garbage bins

and other places where refuse finds refuge -

anything I could use, I would use

and anything I could sell, I’d sell.

Some would say God was blessing me

by directing me to those garbage bins

where useful things had been discarded

and there may well have been a time

I was inclined to believe that.

But I’ve also found money lying on the streets

and been told that money is the root of all evil -

Ah, then those gifts could not be of God

but of the evil one they call Satan,

for why would God bless me with evil things?

I’ve thought about this some more

and concluded that both are vying for my attention,

giving me rejects and crumbs from a crumbling society

built upon the dreams of two powerful divinities,

two powerful enemies; two divine and utter fools

who would destroy a world and everything in it

in their insane quest for control.

It's truly an interesting concept -

that what we assume are blessings

are really nothing more than bribes,

little ones for those who need little,

big ones for those who lust for power.

Of course, there is a simpler explanation:

I got off my ass and went looking so I wouldn’t go hungry

Ode To The Sewer

And now we’ve arrived!

We’ve come of age:

we’ve developed the complete sewer!

or as the Laughing Poet would aptly spell it:

the sure system… or the surer system,

sure, why not?

Now man’s excrement goes swirling away

un-smelled beneath the tires of his car

though sometimes gurgling happily

below his parched lawn…teasing.

No matter,

with the proper mix of chemicals,

a touch of time in a special vat,

a trip or two down a spiral pipe painted red,

up another painted green and pink,

the time finally comes

to take that final, long awaited run

as tertiary or secondary shit

down to the sea of man’s forgetfulness

where clams, oysters and abalones

gasp for breath on a dying shore.

Not a pretty sight or thought but

do you realize the System’s so afraid

we may question these destructive ways

it cuts down old growth forest

so we won’t go back to living in trees

and come full circle to realize

life is great, even without sewers?

Prayer

Pray for the sick; pray for whatever

- prayer is a flexible commodity -

be sure God loves to hear more and more

simply because – did you ever consider this:

He’s under no compunction or law

to grant a single one of your endless petitions?

So, what’s He got to lose

if you importune Him with your begging?

He’ll walk past you, unseen, unheard,

won’t even have to kick you out of his way

as one would a stray dog…

So you pray “in the name of God”

and nothing happens for better or for worse:

doesn’t it make you wonder

when one dies from incurable disease or accident

and another in similar circumstances,

is “miraculously” healed?

(and I might add, in most cases)

- without benefit of either clergy,

religion, belief or faith? -

I’ve got a better idea of what goes on.

God looks at his Rolex watch:

“Sate! Its lunch time; I’m dying for sushi!”

“But dear, (says his Wife)

“there are people on Earth praying earnestly

for another of your miracles!”

God shrugs: “Sorry dear,

its been a strenuous morning;

I’ve got a board meeting this afternoon

and you know what Satan is like

(as a major shareholder,

he loves to cause trouble!)

Let them wait – what difference will it make?

I’ll keep the ones I want, damn the rest of ‘em!

Beside, I’ve got a smashing headache -

I was on the Cosmic-net half the night

with my financial adviser,

my stock broker,

my life-insurance agent.

These are not good times – investments on miracles

are no longer getting the usual rate of return:

curse those wonder drugs they found on Earth…

and I’m sick and tired of their silly sins:

street crime and sex, can’t they be more creative?

I need to find me a President

to jump-start me a beautiful war somewhere -

Ah, yes, my old stomping ground:

the earth “Middle East” is just the place

to bring back fond memories of earth conflicts

that make even cold blood move faster:

are they done working in the holo-room?”

Well we all know that’s silly, right?

Right? Right? Yes? Well, how do we know

that isn’t exactly how it is?

Is it not said: As above, so below?

Well, it’s how it is here, (isn’t it?)

so turn it around and what do you have?

As below, so above.

So I say, go build yourself more temples,

and set those pews, row on row,

mile on mile, set them straight and firm:

bring the billions to kneel on them

to beseech their gods all day and night.

Now enter the results in your computers

and have the intelligence to read them;

the heart to ponder them,

the courage to publish them.

What Do I Know?

Out of darkness, she comes as light;

out of chaos, she emerges as peace;

out of confusion, she orders and sets;

in barren places, she plants the seeds;

parched lands, she waters with tears.

Once she ruled upon this orb

loved, worshipped, understood;

once, children ran naked from her arms;

innocent, joyful, carefree;

Once nature flourished in her care -

Once – all was as it should be,

but that was a long time ago:

now she waits for me to reason this out,

to grasp life’s energy, the concept of love:

but what do I know of love

transcending all things, uniting all things?

Still, I ponder this mystery,

while in a timeless world, she waits.

Just Have Faith

People say it all the time

“Just have faith-

in God or Spirit or the Universe:

that takes care of everything;

now watch your life get better.”

Does it?

When they say that,

are they not saying they are powerless

to change their life?

Hoping someone else will do it?

Are they not saying they don’t know

what it is they want of life

and need someone else

to lay it all out for them?

Is it not better to take all ideas

and experiment with them?

See if they work or not?

Observe the results,

accept the consequences?

Choose? Take responsibility?

When one does that,

is that not self-empowerment?

Ah, but that takes on-going effort

and no one to blame when things go awry:

This is the Age of Narcissism -

who would have the courage to state,

‘The buck stops here?’

Very few, it seems. Very few.

[] No Weed In God’s Garden

If it were God’s garden

methinks it would not have weeds:

for weeds are considered nefarious,

a danger to the good things,

taking up precious space

and eating up nutrients in the soil.

No, God would not tolerate weeds

in his garden

for the Bible makes it clear

that at the end of time

the weeds will be harvested

and thrown into the fire.

Oh well, I have one question:

where do weeds come from?

(I mean, who created them?)

Earth has weeds, many weeds

so I guess Earth

isn’t God’s garden!

OK, let’s forget how they got here:

what we do know, or are told

is that Earth grows the weeds

and knee-jerk reactionary angels,

as cops in marijuana fields,

harvest these illegal substances

and throw them into hell,

to burn forever.

There ain’t no “weed”

allowed in God’s turf – case closed!

You say you were created a weed?

Too bad for you.

Better luck next time -

oops, sorry, no next time!

- Next!

In Search Of God

A man was walking through

the forest in search of trees,

and leaves:

he found nothing

and cursed his luck,

angrily dodging branches

heavy with life and fruit;

walking around giant trunks

offering him a place

to rest his tired frame

and eat a peaceful meal

in quiet shade:

he saw nothing.

Birds living in thickets

of thorn and alder

twittered and sang softly

in the air above his head

but he never looked up:

he heard nothing,

so intent was he upon his search –

but leaves and trees

eluded him.

His view of the world

he carried in a picture book

which was a great fool’s

precious legacy;

he, himself, being equally

a very great and learned

fool:

God, sitting on the branch of a tree,

sighed sadly as the fool walked by

in his frustration

and she whispered into the air:

“There are none so blind

as those that will not see

and none so deaf

as those that will not hear…”

The God Question

When I was younger I was taught to pray;

I had no doubt that God loved me

And really wanted to give me good things

So I prayed for a red bicycle.

But nothing: my parents were poor

And my mother thought I’d hurt myself

And God, well, I dunno.

He didn’t show up with the bike

He didn’t give my dad the money

and allowed my mother’s fears to remain

and I walked

while my friends rode their bikes

and made fun of me.

There was a kid in my communion class -

pretty smart kid,

and he had a way of looking at things

quite differently than I.

(And although he became a lawyer

that takes nothing from his logic.)

I asked him about this problem of God;

the unanswered prayers and the Great Silence.

Oh hell – he said – I knew this would be good,

you have to, like, figure out the System.

What’s confession, and asking forgiveness for?

If you’re going to confess anyhow,

may as well have something to show for it.

When I wanted my red bike – don’t we all want one?

I went out one night and stole it.

Then I asked God to forgive me: case closed.

We may not be best friends

God and I -He hates those who figure it out

But we’re good business partners now:

you see, we understand one-another:

I take what I want, give God his share,

case closed.

When Shit Happens

Late for work

and your shoelace breaks;

your car won’t start;

you rush to call a cab

the phone inexplicably dies;

you chase a bus only to get thrown off

for not having the right change

and when you finally get to work

the boss says you’re fired:

What to do when shit happens?

There is a place hidden deep within

where these things matter not:

where we know life is surprises

and synchronicity

and seldom is the meaning clear

of interconnected events

driving us up the wall.

If shit happens let it turn to fertilizer;

allow the energy to compost in the mind:

let it rot, without judgment,

for in judgment the process halts:

the ‘bad’ remains

as the immutable Murphy’s Law.

Give Your Soul Back to God!

Give my soul back to God?

Preposterous – some will exclaim.

Ridiculous – others will maintain.

Who cares? Would be another’s comment.

Why do such a thing? Why?

It’s a beautiful sunny day -

I’m walking silently in the high mountains

and my mind is full of thoughts:

Some pleasant, some deep and troubling

and that strange idea my friend brought up -

to give my soul back to God -

seems to haunt my every step.

What does that entail,

giving my soul back to God?

Well, what is a soul?

What purpose does it serve?

How would one go about this strange process

of returning the thing, anyway?

I have to assume that the soul

is man’s connection to God;

that it is “given” to man by God

but still belongs to God – no one else.

It’s God’s hidden mike and surveillance camera

into my very psyche. A “bug”; a plant,

an implant, perhaps even a virus.

It is the guarantee that man will never cease

wondering about God,

in acceptance or rejection but never oblivious.

It is the guarantee that God – in whatever form -

will always control man’s life and destiny.

That being said – and basically accepted -

all that remains is getting rid of this thing.

So I go to God (via the thing, of course)

and I state the obvious (He knows my thoughts)

and wait for His answer: A bit surprising -

“I’ll take it back, of course, since that’s your desire.

I can’t violate your free will (That’s God talking -

I won’t say I agree with his statement)

“But Earth is my planet and you’re on it

so you’re still under my jurisdiction here.

I’ll make you a deal, take it or leave it:

Work for me – do those things my own people

have forgotten I want done. Simple things -

the kind of things my Son asked them to do once,

like caring for widows and orphans,

loving all life; exhibiting compassion.

Promise you will do that while you’re here

and I won’t trouble you, now, or ever.”

Funny thing, isn’t it? Now I have no soul

I can be all the good things I once thought

would never be possible for me. And why?

Simply because now, it’s my idea, see?

I made a promise and I intend to keep it.