(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
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