(x = space)
x
x
Book War
(preventive)
x
It happens
When a group
Has a code
That is set down
For day-to-day
And legacy
x
It took place with
The Quran
The evening of
The morning
When there was
Certitude that
There would be
A new
Generation
x
The Christian Bible
Set off conflict
With each change,
Each schism
Set to fighting
Over what to do
For faith
And what the book
Of faith should say
x
Not to mention
All the agnostica
Falling ‘round
The faithful
x
How many books
In the book?
Sixty-six or seventy-two with
All that should be in
Sixty-six or seventy-two
x
My version’s better
My translation
My paraphrase
No, mine
No, mine
No, OURS
Said with authority
No one outside commends
So we will need an army
Defending ink,
Scriptoria,
And brittle generations
x
A Bible war
Could be fun for trivia
On pub night
But not to justify
The raping of
Constantinople,
Christians thieving Christians
Or the books
That fuel internal fires
Burning up Jerusalem
For faith
x
Now, it seems
The Jewish book
For faith
Kept growing
x
While some groups
For their faith
Don’t keep a book at all
x
To say the least,
There’s fondness for a text
But to justify—well,
We’ve heard good things about
A declaration
And a constitution
And a touchstone
x
We should not fight about it
But leave room
As at the table
After dinner
x
Or the second half
Of sermons,
Engagement that most folk
Forget or remember
In leaving off
x
coda
x
If we write
And publish,
Pass around,
We should talk about it
x
Since pages are not
Altars
(altars are not altars)
And there’s always trouble
With our idols when
In idolatry
x
C L Couch
x
x
Photo by Drew Murphy on Unsplash
I was on a work shoot in a suburban church in Johannesburg. I took a walk around and noticed this soft light spilling onto the pews. Immediately I knew I should get a Bible and place it there. To me this image speaks of the gentle peace that can be found in the midst of a crazy world.
x
clcouch123 
January 18, 2021 at 7:41 pm
If it were possible to talk over all these religious texts, leaving out the parts that are hearsay or simply rules of engagement added by old men in some distant epoch, we might find that the actual divine injunctions are very sparse and very similar. But then there’d be no need to fight over the differences, would there?
January 21, 2021 at 9:26 pm
Like Lilliputians, we do like fighting over the differences. I think you’re right that the directives honestly would be sparse. God has two main laws for Christians and Jews, after all. Sigh.
January 21, 2021 at 10:03 pm
And the Moslem god is the same. Just the prophet with the interpretation is different.
A couple of basic tenets. The rest is just the rules of the club.
January 18, 2021 at 7:51 pm
This is really nice. As a spiritual person, I always had trouble with religious denomination and dogma and so much hate done in the name of religion. Now I think atheists will come after religion and congregation of any kind in the name of the state and that might make religious wars pale in comparison — covid makes a good reason to stifle it. Funny huge companies like Amazon can work? And Hollywood. I didn’t gather in a church, or haven’t for a very long time, but we’ll soon be China — going after almost all religion. Sad all around.
January 21, 2021 at 9:24 pm
This is a nation in which far more people believe in God than not. Certainly, not everyone follows God in healthy ways but still. Atheists as a minority should be respected, even protected but frankly should not rule in this regard. The Bill of Rights should protect everyone from that. I’m sure that Hollywood like Amazon claims to be providing urgent public service, which I don’t understand. I don’t mind watching reruns now or movies I have seen before. (I also don’t mind waiting a while for things I have ordered.) Thanks for your compliment. I hope you and yours are all really well.
January 19, 2021 at 4:33 pm
We all have our own genre of books we read. Mine are historical fiction, spiritual, and fantasy. If someone likes western or detective novels. I say good for you, to each his own. Same for religious books.
January 21, 2021 at 9:08 pm
You’re right, and your comments are affirming.
August 17, 2022 at 8:27 pm
I love your poem defending the discussion of ink! Very true, discussion and consensus seem to have given way to demanding and attacks of those who disagree!
August 17, 2022 at 10:52 pm
Thank you! I remember when I was first taught politics, I was given to understand that in democracy the majority rules with respect to the minority. Where that respect has gone I do not know.
August 17, 2022 at 11:34 pm
We need Aretha to come back and sing to us again!
August 17, 2022 at 11:40 pm
The more polarized politics becomes the more dysfunctional and useless it is, as we have seen in the US Congress. Extremists only think about their own agenda. Very sad.
August 18, 2022 at 6:36 pm
I agree. I believe that extremists want only their own agenda to exist, nothing more.
Aretha back–Amen!