Beyond Noise

I have not protested the war enough

have not loved my neighbours enough

Jesus set a clear bar

sheep - in you go; goats - out you go

a clean separation

but is it clean?

my salt, my sweat, my fading ideals — just hooves and horns?

after a long day I settle in my chair, smile at family, thankful for a safe home

on my days off I pay the bills, do the laundry

and in the margins, if there is time, I try to hear it

people say I’m kind, but most of the time the best I can do is clarity

some mornings I get up early, watch the sun rise, try to hear it

every so often I touch the vast silent space between atoms and solar systems

did God succumb to the corruption of power?

all that’s left is an almighty echo

codes buried in the beta layer

truth pushed into metaphors

the God of righteousness is a mask on the faceless

the God of violence a mirror for the hero

Elijah moved past those

alone in a cave

heard

a still small voice

I try to hear