Bewildered, or: In twilight

Posted on by ben Alexander

Poetry Partners #147

‘Dirge to a Dirge’, a poem by Rayla of ‘Innerdialects’

WAR
rAW
''..humans can pardon each other."

If YHWH is disbelieved
then
your Portugal fell to the Fault of men

(more pointlessnesses👇🏼)

•I envy your fire that will not dance with the Storm: you see nothing beyond the grave. Zero bother with war crimes. No wasting time cussing a God not there

Ach!
(your tender sensitivities unsettle again
'trying so hard to avoid' my easel ?)

while my blind son searches colors he knows we know; his dark is the tsunami that took his sight but I see a blind boy dance in the light

reluctant Rabbi,
I'm bereaved of *disbelief,
(Fellow Believer of It*- you 🙂

yeah Tho' we cringe @death tolls
am staring at my maddening God that allows the death of those who know Him,
for those who do not.

Have you carried a weak child to your heart, but allowed the stronger one to face a storm? For this crime of Love, I pardon Him.
"Humans can…"

("God gave us the gift of life. It is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.”
Voltaire)

If there's God, there's a journey for the soul beyond all earthquakes & that one at Golgotha.

A poem by ben Alexander of ‘The Skeptic’s Kaddish’

EPIGRAPH:

The Bible shows the way to go to heaven, not the way the heavens go.

–Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642) 
Reluctant rabbi? Hardly. Just this Jew
who understands the god concept's appeal.
Yes, I truly do, but mortal yearning
for order does not order make, despite
itself, despite your longing or my own.
Such conversations can go in circles
forever, only causing people upset,
while not a positive thing comes of them.
Still, folks engage in these futilities
to convince themselves that life's not futile.
Or, rather, some do. I've personally
concluded it better to make meaning
than to slap a conceptual label
on the chaos of existence. War crimes
remain evil, according to human
empathy and reason; the disaster
that befell Portugal in seventeen-
fifty-five had nothing to do with fault,
unless 'twas a vile war crime committed
by some omnipresent, omnipotent,
omniscient supernatural being.

(I'd add omnibenevolent, but for
those tens of thousands of faithful Christians
who died in church on that cataclysmic 
All Saints' Day; a hell that beggars belief.)

Let’s write poetry together!

When it comes to partnership, some humans can make their lives alone – it’s possible. But creatively, it’s more like painting: you can’t just use the same colours in every painting. It’s just not an option. You can’t take the same photograph every time and live with art forms with no differences.

–Ben Harper (b. 1969)

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

List of Poetry Partners

30 thoughts on “Bewildered, or: In twilight”

  1. David, I caught up on all four poems. I think all four are compellingly written, though I am weary of religious discussions after suffering at the hands of those who vilified me in the name of religion, those who tried to force their ideologies on me, and politicians who use religion as a weapon of manipulation.

    When I was a teenager, my parents said, “think for yourself, and don’t follow the crowd.” What they really meant was, “Adopt our unpopular views. Live by our rules. It doesn’t matter if you are ostracized by your peers.” I think they were chagrined when I chose to actually follow their advice to think for myself!

    Peace! I respect those who live their beliefs and respect me for living mine.

    2. Dear Cheryl 💜
      The last thing intended was to force any bit of anything on anyone.
      At 20, and decades later today, I ran from the force of natural forces. Any more said here might imply more of That. This is a personal choice from the core of the soul of my bones. I hate the world Religion and all the hurt it may have caused precious people. I live in a Land of a kadzillion gods/ goddesses; I wasn’t searching for Him. I was running as far as I could, and my beloved parents let me. Till today its hard for me to fit into any propah church.
      Love that you are honest, and happy.
      Stay blest
      🥀
      Ray

      2. Thank you, Ray, for your kind response. I did not feel coerced by your lovely poems. It seems to me that you are a person who lives what they believe. If more people sincerely followed their professed beliefs and ethics, the world would be a much kinder place. Have a wonderful Christmas and a joyous New Year! ❤

        1. Aww thats lovely hearing from you Cheryl. I’m mostly a mess😅 but its great vibing here, trying! Yes and how I wish too, for peace on earth, basic laughter and safety for all. Have a great Christmas you too, and a fabulous 365 ahead🔯

  2. Music for the Requiem Mass
    A slow movement in lamentation and mourning
    Breathing now through the melancholy pipe

    Such wonderful writing, deep and meditative theological and personal reflections.
    I admire people who are soundly engrossed in matters of the heart and God.
    I’ve come to learn that there are many people out there who enjoy life by daily studying the word, which in turn benefits me. And I also know many people who are uplifted listening to sermons.

  4. I agree. You could discuss theology for hours. But time can be better spent on getting the most out of life as it is so short on this mortal plane. Great post, David.

    3. Seneca, On the Shortness of Life

      “It takes the whole of life to learn how to live, and -what will perhaps make you wonder more – it takes the whole of life to learn how to die.”

    2. “…the universe … is written in…symbols triangles, circles…without whose help it is impossible to comprehend a single word…without which one wanders in vain through a dark labyrinth.” Galileo
      💜🥀💜thank you for every word here; even quotes on the fabulous Galileo. Appreciate each comment.

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