Something About the Old Gods

 

I was pondering the relevance

of the Ancient Gods and

Goddesses of myth on my

drive into work this morning.  

And how those ancient beliefs

fall in line with the contradictions

within the human condition.

 

Zeus at least, was

presented as a morally

corrupt and contrasting

figure of an all powerful

deity. He was flawed, thus

excusing man’s flaws.

 

God though, the Christian,

Jewish God, is infallible.

A perfect being without

error, directing the compass

of destiny through just means.

 

Disease, viruses, sickness,

famine, plague, war, etc.,

all created through God’s

creation.  Yet it’s all part of

a plan. A plan based around

a predeterminate free-will.  

 

I propound the antique belief in

the Ancient panoply of Gods

is akin to believing in some level

of modern moral turpitude.

A paradox.

 

God is good.

God makes man.

Man makes sin.

Man destroys God.

God destroys man.

Is God good?

Is Man good?

 

Is believing in a Minitour or

Centaur any different than

believing a vaccine is unsafe

or that there’s some sort of microchip

in their designed to… I don’t even know,

Is there any difference?

 

Are human beings so easily

taunted by myth we’re not

capable of seeing through it,

seeing them as just stories,

and we just writhe in the agony

of misinformation and arrogant

contradiction?

 

I should just focus on my

drive into work.

I don’t want to miss my exit

and there’s a lot of stuff to

do on my desk.

This is not a Labyrinth.

 

But I fear the beast in the middle.

 

Hey America, You Got a Minute?

 

Hey America, you got a Minute?

Yes, you.

Fine. North America.

The United States of America,

do you have a minute?

Sheesh, so touchy lately.

 

Sorry we got off to an

awkward start there.

Please come in and

make yourself comfortable,

but not too comfortable,

am I right Guam…? Ha!

 

I’m just kidding of course,

please sit down on the couch

there.

Now, I know it’s your birthday

this weekend and I wanted to

discuss a few things with you

before it got crazy.

 

Please put down the bong.

I know, I know, it’s legal for

most of you now, but this is

important.

Thank you.

Now, as I was saying…

 

You got a lot of problems

you’re not confronting, what with

this party attitude and nonchalant

sort of “they’ll wear themselves out”

thing going on.

It’s really got me worried and I want

you to be okay.

 

Thank you for listening,

now about the guns….

No, no, no, no, no, no, no…

Please don’t get up.

This is important.

 

I know you think you're old enough

to have them, but the evidence doesn’t

really support that. I know you think they’re

cool and all, but there’s a lot of people

getting wounded and killed, lots of kids.

Yeah, kids.

I know it’s terrible.

So that’s why I wanted to

have this minute with you, to sort of,

you know, kindly ask you to

get your shit together.

 

Will you please take that

baseball cap off?

No, I do not want to see your

truck nuts.

Will you please listen?

 

Let’s just say that for your

big boy birthday, number 245

to be fair, that you might want

to start being a little more

responsible for yourself and

all those weapons out there.

 

I know, majority this and that,

but really, you are capable of such

incredible things and are so much

bigger than your petty differences,

why is this teeny issue the one you

get hung up on?

 

It’s not so bad really,

The queen of England doesn’t appear

ready to storm the beaches

of Cape Hatteras anytime soon,

so maybe we can lay off the whole,

right to bear arms thing?

 

Okay, that’s all I wanted to say,

you can go back outside and play

with your friends, don’t be a bully

though and remember play nice and to share.

Okay.

I love you too.

Happy Birthday!

Voting is More Important than Good Poetry

 

There’s was a silly little sign 

that once hung in the barbershop 

where I got my haircut as a child. 

Among other wildly inappropriate 

signs and posters, too “mature”  

for the eyes of child.  

This small scroll had an Irish toast 

of sorts, which goes, “When we drink,  

we get drunk. When we get drunk,  

we fall asleep. When we fall asleep,  

we commit no sin. When we commit no sin,  

we go to heaven. So, let's all get drunk,  

and go to heaven!” 

It came to mind this Election Day morning. 

I’m not really sure why, but I thought  

I’d try my hand a sort of re-worked version 

of that toast in honor of this prestigious 

Election Tuesday.  

 “When we vote, 

we get a voice. 

When we have a voice, 

we must raise it. 

When we raise it, 

we commit to the future. 

When we commit to the future, 

we all win. 

So, let’s all vote and go to the future!” 

 Meh, I think I like it better when  

it’s about drinking.   

 Regardless, it is still imperative that 

Americans get out and vote today, 

if they haven’t already, and cast their 

vote for a future they can be proud of 

and look back upon fondly by saying to their 

descendants, “I did that. I looked forward and 

did this for you, my beloved progeny”.  

Good poem/Bad Poem? 

Inconsequential. What is important, 

is your voice is heard, your vote is cast, 

and you fulfill your duty as a citizen  

as the driver of this Country’s Destiny.  

 

A Hippocratic Oath for Humanity

A Hippocratic Oath for humanity,

I think that’s what we might need

these days. A pledge that we, as human

beings, will do no harm to

others.

The original Hippocratic Oath is rife with

inconsistencies, as any document from

circa 275 AD might be; open to translation,

interpretation and selective inference.

Yet I think the tone is practical and wise.

First, Do No Harm – Seems like a simple

enough philosophy. Just act in a way that

does not cause injury to others through

action or inaction.

Whoa! That’s just crazy talk. Right?

Just don’t do things that could hurt

someone? I mean, that’s just such a

radical concept, from 275 AD.

Those Greek knuckleheads probably didn’t

even know what they were doing, right?

Although our Republic is totally based

on their government and a majority of

the Democratic system of elections was

sort of their idea, but c’mon, they’re all

dead. What can we learn from them.

Enough of the nay-saying. I think

it is only right that we embrace this idea

of living in a way that does no harm.

Not as physicians, but as doctors of humanity,

striving to create a world in which we do not fear.

We take this oath and swear to do no

harm, to take no action which will result

in injury or insult to my fellow human beings.

We swear to hear the cries of the hurt, the

wounded and the shamed and act accordingly.

We make no promises. We make no lies.

We strive to find the best of ourselves and

those around us. We recognize our individuality,

and our oneness. We pledge to

believe in the potential of humanity

to be good and great, through support,

understanding and knowledge.

We pledge to do no harm.