Theodicy (The Mothers)
God cannot be, so
he created the mothers.
God created the heavens and the earth
without form and void,
and God cannot be, so
the mothers brought forth daughters
and sons,
but let's talk about daughters.
God is three people, and God is one,
and God cannot be, so
the mothers tilled paradise
with their daughters at their knees
and the daughters learned the steps
learned to bend and sway,
learned the songs
for sowing, for threshing,
and for harvest.
The boys were out hunting
or fishing or fighting
and thinking up really big lies about it,
because the Lord their God
is a jealous God
and God cannot be, so
the mothers kept their daughters close,
and all fingers busy
picking the ripe fruit
from the tree of knowledge
of good and evil. Take, eat
the mothers say to the daughters, so
you may know what is precious
in our sight.
Plenty will be left over for the boys.
There is no God but God, and God
the compassionate, the merciful cannot be, so
the women have mercy
and teach it to their girl children
while the men are busy
counting their begats.
God from whom all blessings flow
cannot be, so
the mothers carry the daughters' water
to the place all waters flow,
and God himself
needed his mother and sisters
to get there.
God is love, and God
in his infinite mercy cannot be, so
the mothers love with a love
stronger than death,
dropping tears of blood
in their daughters' shadows.
Dana Pattillo
Note: I have posted this poem before, but not as part of the PoD series.
I post it today in honor of Fiona, and her Tequila Goddess poem.
