Tag Archives: the “Nones”

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF GOD

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21st Century American poets
Sing about God’s “disappearance” –

But it’s not God who’s disappearing, it’s America’s spiritual culture –

What a waste! – our allegiance to a nationalism of no love –
To upper-echelon materialism –
And, also, to this ersatz “heaven” of global capitalism.

This raises the question, however,
Whether anything can exist without a center –
Especially since our own center is an “ego”
Which we’re rapidly losing confidence in.

The primary duty of working poets at all times and places
Is to sing about joy in the presence of God –
So that each of us might, in turn, have our own individual joys reaffirmed
And our true center hold.

When American poets started giving up God –
What was left was a group of negative images and a few slick verbal tricks –
What was left, in essence, was a deep emotional depression – artistically made invisible.

But what came next, of course, was Satan –
Grinning ear to ear –

Death trailing behind in all its manifold forms –
Entering our lives like the tide –

This is the price we’re going to be required to pay
For American poets being so willing to let the “real” God go.

APPETITES

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Over time, God’s biblical names have turned to ashes –
And begun drifting down –
Each ancient name a wasted universe.

Even though the names are “pretty dead” by now –
God doesn’t miss them – at all.

People don’t want an original God anymore – it’s just too much reality to bear –
Instead, they’ve substituted smaller, ersatz Gods – stuffed animals, really –
In order to get themselves to sleep – while still being awake.

Since most people will never be privileged to see, hear, or experience God themselves –
They’ve authorized the construction of large stone structures –
Each topped by a white arrow that points straight up –
Symbolizing that something’s up there!

But actually nothing’s there.

So, when people decide they no longer want a real God any longer –
And begin worshipping their own fabulous human productions instead –
They begin feeling an increasing spiritual hunger –
That is, a strong desire to eat everything in the world –
Whether money, fashion, wearable computers,
New ideas, exotic food, foreign vacations, and much much more –

As a result, it’s getting pretty hot – and heating up even more –
In a sort of reverse Vesuvius effect –
Each person an upside-down volcano – pulling “hot” materials back inside themselves.

God is appalled at this, but can do nothing
Because these people no longer exist as ordinary human beings –
Having become primarily appetites.

It is natural to eat – so long as it’s in suitable proportions –
It only becomes unnatural when it’s gotten completely out of control –
For example, when one tries to “eat” enough to fill the gap left by a missing real God.

Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammed all warned us against this –
When our appetites become more important than other human beings, or even God –
When appetites take over and start devouring our human spirit.

The strongest materialistic forces in the world have been steadily pushing this –
With global capitalism out in front –

The advertising and public relations campaign runs as follows:

“Become appetites, little ones –
Don’t even think about God –

After all, you can’t “eat” God,
Can you?”

CROWS

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Even with all the love freely available to us,
The world‘s just getting too technically complicated –

And, since that’s the case,
What heroine will finally be able to cut through

This great Gordian cybertronic knot?

We’ve been marching along, carrying papier-mâché gods out in front of us –
In a dream-time parade.

It’s snowing –
While, at the same time, it’s been quickly melting.

Our words for meaning,
Unfortunately, have lost all their original meanings.

A fluttering of wings
Suddenly surrounds us –

It’s the crows – who’ve been waiting –
Their calls so loud
We can’t think.

THE CANS NO LONGER OPEN!

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There’s nothing more open, yet more resistant to change,
Than the American people.

We are the direct descendants
Of an extended chain of empires.

We stretch back – deep into time –
While, at the same time, and quite carelessly, vault into the future.

Truly, there’s nothing more modern,
Yet more ancient, than Americans.

We enjoy playing marbles with our leaders’ heads –
Voting for what we think we believe in –
And buy too many things we don’t really need.

What a laugh!
Especially since there’s not a single funny bone remaining in America.

The cans don’t open either –
Since the can openers have all gotten misplaced.

It’s the fault of religion
That we can’t find anything anymore –

Jesus Christ had been our favorite “opener” –
But, somehow, along the way, he got bent.

TENTATIVE ENCOUNTERS WITH REALITY

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Everything – living and nonliving –
Shares, in some way, with God –
Even our sleepy selves.

But this effect tends to disappear
As soon as we experience it –
Yet is the reason it seems so beautiful!

Life appears to be, and is, exquisite
When we experience it slipping through our fingers –

We try our best to hold onto it –
But are able to capture only a few images
In memory or
Imagination.

As we mature, we come to believe
That the mind is “real” –
But this is a lie.

When we dive down into our personal ocean of unreality
Even kisses are only ideas
As we repeatedly lose ourselves in all the infinite dimensions
Of no dimension.

The truth is –

God, and the true self,
May be encountered, only tentatively,
One individual, and one moment,
At a time.

TEARS OF JOY

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Evangelical Christians talk about being “born again” –
As if it’s easy.

And that suffering and dying are nothing more than just saying the words
“Jesus Christ.”

But this is all a sham.

Suffering and dying are very difficult –
As Jesus so graphically demonstrated.

But that’s what it costs –

Dying, to make way for the birth
Of the kind of people God meant for all of us to be –

Pretty much everything in the ancient world had to be destroyed
To make room for that.

It’s the same for each one of us – it won’t be easy –
Giving up and
Starting all over again –

Arriving straight out of a spiritual womb
Into a sky we’ve never experienced before.

At birth, everyone starts crying,
You, your friends, the entire world – everyone –

Tears of joy.

SURFING

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Human beings desire control in their lives –
Which is both a good, as well as a bad thing.

Actually, life is more like surfing –

If you go too far forward –
Or too far back –

You fall in.

It’s the same with our attempts at control –
Not enough, and life starts to fall apart,
Too much, and it can freeze up.

Western culture teaches that we should strive for as much control in our lives as possible
But this has led to embracing a “material” God.

It’s similar, isn’t it, to what Jesus said about the birds –
Which don’t have to worry about what they eat or wear.
Jesus knew people had to work –
But thought it just wasn’t the most important thing.

The paradox each of us needs to solve
Is how to become our “true self” –
The child that’s still able to play –
In the midst of a responsible adult life.

It is a lot like surfing, isn’t it –
Balance being the most important skill.

Playful as a child –
Responsible as an adult.

This takes a lot of practice
Like all other critical life skills.

WHAT IS “GOD”?

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When someone says:

“I love God with all my heart, soul, mind and spirit” –

What “God” is being talking about here?

The God that I mean is not some ancient shibboleth
Or “Big Old Man in the Sky” –
And, certainly not, the puppet God worshipped in too many churches today.

My God is “the Best” – that is, the best that human beings have ever been able to conceive.

For example, for me, this would include:

“Love” coming to life in all its most beautiful manifestations –

“Truth” that’s continually opening up – ever clearer and finer –

“Justice” as “ultimate fairness” – which naturally exists, and

“Beauty” which makes life feel like a “celebration” is about to happen!

What do you think constitutes the “Best”? Or, perhaps even, the “Very Best”?
Tell me, and I’ll be happy to say that what you just said
Is closely-related to, or even a part of, “God.”

It’s that simple, isn’t it?

If you argue “the Best” no longer exists –
Like much Western culture currently treats the word “God” –
Then what has happened is only that you’ve tricked yourself out of yourself.

Actually, “the Best” does exist –
And, traditionally, and rightly, we call it “God.”

When I say “Love” is God – or “God” is Love –
Do you really dare reply that it’s not?

STUNG INTO LIFE

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We believe it’s impossible to “be like God” –
So, instead, we dissolve into puffy white clouds
And float across endless blue skies.

We’ve also come to believe that it’s impractical for us to “die”
In order to live,
But, on unique occasions, we’re able to do it anyway.

After all, Jesus did it, and not just at the end of his life –
But every moment of every day –
So, logically,
So can we.

Overhead, “death” circles
Like a buzzing blue-bottle fly.

Go away death!
We don’t want to be stung
Into life
Today.

STANDING OVATION

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The world’s up on a stage –
Out in front, a huge audience has been assembling.

We take on various roles,
And applaud or not, depending upon our mood.

Beautiful women, selling oranges, make their way
Through the crowds –
And even up on the stage where the nobles sit.

We eat, watch,
And play our given parts –
Noble, commoner,
Playwright, orange.

Shakespeare thought
The entire world could be envisioned as up on a stage
Playing out his plays.

Everyone else thinks pretty much the same thing –
Sometimes, collectively calling that production “the world as we know it” –
While each of us tries to reserve the best parts for our “self.”

The production always ends with a standing ovation –

Of the self, by the self, and for the self.