Dogma
It is all so plain
So easy to know right from wrong
To delineate goodness from sin
The contrast as clear as
A white collar against a black robe
He stands before us
Elevated
Dispensing incense
And dictating behavior
To deliver us from damnation
The dogma determines the ritual
Of dress and the rites of death
We genuflect before the great paneled doors
We cover our heads
We hide our faces
We stand in the great dark void
And hear his voice echo against
Stations of stained glass
Passive saints keeping vigil
Over a bewildered audience
Stand kneel stand kneel
Recite
Common minds need not know why
A boy is taken
Just accept, then
Stand kneel stand kneel
And recite
Again
Copyright ©2004 Juliet Krassenstein
posted by calabresewoman @ 1:15 PM
4 Comments:
liked this. it was economic and worked for me got me thinking about all the times i'd stood in churches angry with someones life reduced to anodyne soundbite by an ill-informed stranger - and of course the 'dogma' proving threadbare in reality; cold comfort.liked the healing fury of that last verse - the antidote to the fraudulence of the father. Enjoyed the others; being english (and ignorant)wasn't sure who was on the coin assumed abe lincoln or munroe - still, unlike ozymandias or the blurred faces of emperors on the coins that litter the thames (so abundant as to be worthless i'm told; but never fail to excite me)at least they'd recognise the political landscape after 230 years so still hope. Cicada invoked gerard manley hopkins "That nature is a heraclitean fire and on the comfort of the resurrection" even its physical shape on the page was similiar. i liked it felt the experience of something i've never witnessed (though the noise of the cicada indelibly associated with a conflation of cool hand luke, in the heat of the night, etc)You're good. I've written poetry but i've never had the discipline or the desire to really craft it, never achieved the kind of clarity i see here. Unsolicited advice - so forgive me if i transgress - don't be a reluctant lawyer, give it your all - or do something else ( i'm talking to myself here as much as you) i spent years being a reluctant addictions counsellor and a reluctant husband and it kept me small. eventually i was forced through painful circumstances of my own making to show up and take responsibility - so i made a commitment to give it my best even though i sometimes hated it and was bordering burn-out (top security prison, young offenders). as soon as i did that it felt different and i felt less conflicted. My marriage after 26 years is great and we are absolutely honest with each other - but again, i had to make the conscious commitment to the relationship for that to happen. The resulting rewards both with sue and my sons(adam 23 and gareth 24)have been beyond anything i could have envisaged. This has clearly digressed wildly from the point but to conclude, write about yourself - i felt the ominous overtones in 'it can't be that hard to sew two squares of fabric together' sensed the approaching hubris. In short that stuff is funny and compelling engaging whtever because everyone identifies so write more, write about your job(which is absolutely fasinating to outsiders) and write about your family. But what i've been told is at first just write more dont worry about grammar or spelling just get it out there and let people see it then you can work on it. Again i suspect i'm talking to me as much as you. good luck
Wow, thank you. I've only recently decided to put some stuff "out there", it's kind of scary. I appreciate what you wrote. The guy on the coin is Lincoln.
I take issue with nick, on "dogma" given the recent events
around here. I confess that I was more in agreement, say, last
week. Then this week, one of Clair's school friends was killed
in a freak car accident in a parking lot, by his uncle no
less. An only child, too. It is too tragic for words. But
what can we do but retreat to what is comforting, what we all
have in common, i.e., ritual and the knowledge/faith that even
if God cannot prevent the unthinkable from happening, something
bigger is out there and that we all go to a better place in the
end. And what about the kids? I am relieved that my kids have
something, albeit ritual, to help deal with all of this even if
part of it might be "going through the motions." (As for some
of the humans that lead the ritual, I do have some issues, but
I leave those for another time.)
So, those are my (new) thoughts. Your timing is incredible,
you know....
I take issue with nick, on "dogma" given the recent events
around here. I confess that I was more in agreement, say, last
week. Then this week, one of Clair's school friends was killed
in a freak car accident in a parking lot, by his uncle no
less. An only child, too. It is too tragic for words. But
what can we do but retreat to what is comforting, what we all
have in common, i.e., ritual and the knowledge/faith that even
if God cannot prevent the unthinkable from happening, something
bigger is out there and that we all go to a better place in the
end. And what about the kids? I am relieved that my kids have
something, albeit ritual, to help deal with all of this even if
part of it might be "going through the motions." (As for some
of the humans that lead the ritual, I do have some issues, but
I leave those for another time.)
So, those are my (new) thoughts. Your timing is incredible,
you know....
Post a Comment
<< Home