Once, long ago
I gazed upon
the world with
conformity’s eyes
and found it absurd
And I cursed existence
and my fellow man
I built a wall to defend
the tattered remnants
of the sanity I perceived
I still possessed
I built a wall that quickly
became a desolate prison
standing cold in the face
of forgiveness and love
I ignored beauty’s gentle bliss
I insulted love in the name
of an antiquated morality
Oh spirits
Oh demons
Oh harbingers
of what lies
beyond
perception
It was to you
that I entrusted
my salvation
It was to you that
I prayed in expectation
of deliverance
I begged for naught
but a cessation of being
to relieve the nightmare
of existence
In desperation
I grasped the reins
of intolerance
I drew the sword
of superficial righteousness
carving a swath of condemnation
through the ranks of my brothers
for the sake of a disapproving God
I wounded virtue in the name of heaven
I exchanged reason for faith
I threw compassion to the dogs of indifference
What pain has my existence
brought my fellow man?
My path to salvation lies
hidden among the bones
of those I once held dear
Heaven should not
exact such remuneration,
for paradise cannot be
purchased with the blood
of hatred and the
tears of martyred tolerance
I will not kneel before
such an altar
Not again...
Never again
-
Author:
Coyote (
Offline) - Published: August 7th, 2021 11:37
- Comment from author about the poem: Harkens back to a time when I fully embraced organized religion and alienated all those closest to me.
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 17
- Users favorite of this poem: HannahElisabeth
Offline)
Comments3
Hi Coyote,
Yet again, another great work.
Makes me sad that I wrote a multiple page poem somewhere in a now lost notebook that shared the same sentiment... Especially "I will not kneel before
such an altar".
Thank you for the reminder, I've been meaning to recreate that poem for a while now.
Beautifully written my friend.
Thank you most kindly Hannah🙂
And when you do recreate that poem, I'd love to read it🙂
Oddly enough, I just moved into a new place and lo and behold, I found that old notebook right after that comment. Funny how that works... I lost some pages and it needs some serious editing but, I should have that done sometime this week; look out for something titled "Hospital for the sick" 🙂
Will do.
I don't know why all you unhappy folks have such trouble with religion, belief in in god....just look - there's no one, nothing there.........
Can fully appreciate the sentiments you so passionately expressed here. To me I found that mysticism( ie direct communion with God) is the common factor that connects all religious experience.
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