Sunday, July 10, 2016

no more prayers




I learned early

from my father

that alcohol makes a poor crutch

from the Catholic Church that

St Luke or any other saint

would not hold me up either



every day the world

teaches me that God does not exist

outside of another person’s imagination

or some religious doctrine



I’ve discerned as much from

superstition

old wives’ tales and waking dreams

as I have from attending mass

I’ve seen that looking for signs

I won’t recognize one



it’s better to learn from coincidence

than having faith

in some apparition

the ghost of someone else's belief



so where does that all leave me

today

when saying a prayer

can’t possibly relieve the pain I feel

for this society we live in



where our way of life

mocks us as a way of death



where more guns means less safety

more carnage

less courage

to do what needs to be done

when our tears will not wash away

the blood we shed in fear or anger

our prayers will not bring back the dead



where does that leave us all



Barry DeCarli

July 8, 2016

On Hammond Pond

©Barry DeCarli

Available Now! Camouflage of Noise and Silence, My New Collection of Poetry

  My 3rd Collection of Poems Camouflage of Noise and Silence   was published on August 7, 2020 Available here at barrydecarlipoetry.com $...