I Heard It Again
"I Cannot! It Would Be a Sin! A Fearful Sin!" (The Galaxy, An Illustrated Magazine of Entertaining Reading, Vol. VI); After Winslow Homer; American; September 1868; Source: The Met
CEFR Level B2-C1
Written in response to Chapter 2 of The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone.
A reflection on my change from believing that the Bible puts husbands in charge of wives to believing that God created men and women equal in all senses and that equality holds in all contexts, inspired by hearing women tell their stories of Christians telling them that God wanted them to stay in abusive marriages.
FR Level B2-C1
I heard it just that once and thought,
“That’s bad, but it was long ago.”
I heard it twice, and my reasoning:
“That shouldn’t happen, but they don’t share my beliefs.”
I heard it once again and asked,
“How can this still be?”
I heard it again and questioned,
“I believe what they believe, yet the act is not me.”
I heard it again and wondered,
“What if what I claim is not truly what I believe?”
I heard it again. I heard it.
“This cannot continue. How? How does it stay?”
I heard it more, and now I knew,
“Good intentions don’t equal good news.”
I heard it again, now claiming,
“That’s not what I believe, for how can it be?”
I heard it again and resolved,
“Not while God is love and I can speak.”
I heard it yet again and wept,
“Please, let forever end.”
I heard it again and cried out,
“Why do you still believe? Don’t you see?”
I heard it again, heard and prayed,
“My God, show me the way - your way.”
I heard it again, sighed, knowing,
“It will never end, but neither will I.”
These poems were written over the summer and autumn of 2024. From fading signs on brick walls to candy to a Christmas lament, the poems follow the seasons.
Table of Contents
Ghost Signs
Goldenrod
September
Labor Day
Florence Price
Du bist die Ruh 1
Du bist die Ruh 2
Black Squirrels
Fear
Horror
Halloween
Candy 1
Candy 2
Candy 3
How I Learned About Native Americans
Pumpkins
Advent
The Winter Solstice Is Oft Observed
What Is a Nativity Set?
Christmas Is Said to Be a Happy Time
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