John Mole
Sanctuary
Because all flesh
Is as the grass, he heard
The snigger of a
Serpent in the meadow's
Springtime whisper;
We are not told
That God is anything but
Sober.
Because all flesh
Depends on flesh, he saw
The belly of a rabbit
Torn apart, a buzzard
Hanging in the air;
We are not told
That God is anything but
Fair.
Because all flesh
Is common property, he felt
The serpent up his
Trouser-leg, the buzzard
Drop behind his eyes;
We are not told
That God is anything but
Wise.
And so he fled
The meadow, set his back
Against the evidence
Of more in life than wisdom
Trust and temperance
And found a place
Where fear of flesh diminished
Into gentle footsteps, echoing
Within the cloisters of his faith;
Where campanile rang
The only changes of his heart's
Direction;
Where the grass was trim;
Where God's ambivalent laughter
Ceased to trouble him.
Page(s) 277-8
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