I have adopted words from the canon of religion
Into the peace of my non-religious world
Faith, and grace, and prayer, and love
Are to be found liberally scattered
Just as the vegetarian chooses to name her food
Burger, sausage roll, chicken on a stick
Then I choose to name my non-religious thoughts
In the existence of writing man, or of religious man
Today I sent a photograph to my youngest son
And his girlfriend; also to my grandchildren
I used the words Happy Easter without qualm
Or fear, of any kind of time-based retribution
For it is not up to me, nor you either
To determine whether others should be starved
Of the beautiful words from the past of religion
With its immense breadth and depth of storytelling
I have no objection to the cathedrals
Or the icons, or the rituals; indeed
I have attended and I have been moved
By the humanity shared in the gatherings
My difficulty arrives when the words are turned
Into instructions, often with violence adopted
As a way to ensure that the followers are kept
On pathways, determined by heaven knows who
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| Christopher's Website for his Collected Works |