Deconstruction

The sins of the world tear her body apart

Leaving scars and bruises through all the layers of her heart

For the curse born through men grows like a thicket of thorns

Tearing through the innocents while they claim to save the unborn

Because who will rise up to take the place of the dead

Who worked to their graves on false hopes they were fed

Her voice is a rasp as she clings to justice and empathy

But they scowl in disgust, calling her ill, mentally

These people have gouged out their eyes and punctured their ears

Swearing fealty to an orange god whose death approaches the coming year

Their tongues hang dry from large mouths that reek of decay

Spouting verses they think serve them as they scream, "We will pray!"

And when she cries and uses words that evoke their disdain

They accuse her of using the Lord's name in vain

All the while they bomb children and take away their food

All in the name of Jesus who lived a life of servitude

Blessed are those, He says, to the ones who were made weak

For your strong compassion and love are the ones whom I seek

He came for them, yes; even the gays

Not to change them but comfort them from your harsh, wicked ways

What will it take for the wicked to open their hearts

That what they say and do in the light is created from the dark

You call her pure evil for her unbelief in yours

She doesn't need the fear of hell to give love to every living soul

She no longer fears death; there's no hell past this plane

We live in it now, thanks to your religious reign

Author's Note:

I suck at poetry.

I do.

I've never written a good poem in my entire life, yet for the first time, I wrote something down so powerful...I was actually amazed with myself. My husband, who is great with poetry, even said that it was amazing. Which is a huge compliment. I wrote it in the dead of night, unable to sleep. The first two verses kept replaying in my head, demanding they be written down. When I did, the rest of the words just flowed out of me. It wasn't until I finished that I was finally able to fall asleep.

I hope this empowers you, encourages you, and challenges you.