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God?
I've never been very religious
but odd things happen at times
which make me think I'm protected.
There was an accident at seventeen,
skidding on a wet bend
rolling over and over
without a belt on,
only to crawl unscathed
from a a crumpled wreck.
Or ten years later when I overtook too late
and found myself almost crushed between two cars
with an inch to spare on either side
at a hundred and thirty kph.
and just squeezed through.
Then more recently , tired, I veered out
into the fast lane, thinking no one was coming,
(had I even looked in my mirror?)
and missed a rear bumper by seconds.
That time, at last, I began to doubt.
Was someone looking after me?
There were dozens of things I could thank others for,
like my parents for fine food and affection
and vivid seaside holidays,
or my teachers for a good education
or my wife for bringing up our kids so well
(or for her beauty or her sense of humour
or her patience with me, the list goes on).
But there was no one to thank for those close escapes,
so after the last one I remember saying out loud "God,
I know I haven't paid much attention to you over the years,
in fact you might say I've totally ignored you,
but just in case that was you who saved my ass,
and perhaps not for the first time, I'd like to say THANKS
and I'm SORRY not to have realized before
that, well, you may really exist!"
And I promised I would tell others
about this weird little doubt that came over me.
So here you are everyone.
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Region & Country
Asturias, Spain
Favorite Poets
Chaucer, Shakespeare, Du Bellay, Metaphysicals, Petrarch, Dante, Baudelaire, Lorca, Becquer, Coleridge
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Comments
Lenny of Cohen
Tue, 2014-06-17 08:09
Beautiful Mystery
that Is Life Unfolding! Wonderful writing! I too know that we know not what Life is about!
My own brief story of help/guidance from beyond happened in 2003. After 10 yrs of a particular health problem I finally went to see the doctor, and as it turned out it was a life saving move! It was revealed that I had bowel cancer and a genetic disorder, and if I'd not gone to the doctor when I did I would have been dead a couple of months later! Talk about close shave! I know I was nudged by my Invisible Helpers(also referred to as guardian angels) to seek medical help.
I am more aware of the Beautiful Mystery now then I was in 2003! I also know we are all cconnected - we are all One! I have replaced the term death with the term transition. I also don't use the term g_d as it has been abused by those who claim to represent it! I use the term Source or Beloved, and abstain from giving it a gender. Man created g_d!
But I digress! Wonderful poem which I thoroughly enjoyed!
Thanks!
_________________________________________
"Death" is nonsense: what is there to die?
"Life"? How could " life" "die"? That is a contradiction
in terms. Can "light" become "darkness"?
"Light" can only cease to be apparent
Wei Wu Wei
Robert Melliard
Thu, 2014-06-26 23:25
Don't know why
I didn't reply to your comment earlier. It means a lot to me. Anyone who has been through a serious health problem such as yours must have plenty of reasons to get in touch with whatever spiritual forces may exist. I am so glad that you had only a close call (I say "only" though you told me before how dire the consequences of your illness have been. It's great to see how much you like this poem.
Best wishes,
Robert.
author commentpaleoray
Tue, 2014-06-17 15:02
FIne writing about close calls with death
This is fine writing indeed Robert. Your thoughts, doubts, convictions (or lack thereof) are beautifully described in this transparent piece. I'm glad that you have made it this far to write down these "miraculous close calls."
On line 7 of your 7th stanza you have used the word "realised" which means to make a profit on an investment rather than "realized" which means to come to an understanding. I think you meant to use the later.
I applaud your vivid self-examination throughout this piece and I am so glad that you are now coming to the conclusion (realization) that a superior being "God" is in fact in control of it all - for you, me and for all of mankind. Luck and chance have been credited for close call events far too many times. When someone does this, they are actually giving praise to the wrong god. Bravo to you for stating "thank you God" at the conclusion of your piece,
Robert Melliard
Tue, 2014-06-17 17:09
Your comment and poem
Many thanks for telling me you liked my poem. It's the first time in my life I've seriously considered the possibility of God's existence although I can't say I'm the whole way to being a Christian yet. I've always admired Christian altruism in others (not much in myself I'm afraid) but I've never been able to understand the supernatural side until now perhaps. I have read your poem about the Fall and I think it shows a very deep appreciation of the beauty of nature perceived as God's creation. I must admit that it is hard to believe that such loveliness can be the result of pure coincidence. You also show an unusual ability to find rhymes.
Best wishes,
Robert.
author commentscribbler
Tue, 2014-06-17 15:32
Hi
There seem to be two types of people , those who curse God for allowing something to happen and those who thank him for Not allowing something to happen. Then, of course there are the atheists. They could be swept down a raging flood then suddenly come upon a branch by which to pull themselves out of the water, then not even wonder how that particular branch happened to be there at just that time. BTW enjoyed the read.......stan
Robert Melliard
Tue, 2014-06-17 17:33
Two types
I think I have been both of the types of people you mention at different times in my life. Perhaps I'm just beginning to see the light... Thanks for your comment.
Best wishes,
Robert.
author commentweirdelf
Thu, 2014-06-26 03:21
There are two types of people.
Those who believe there are two types of people and those who know better. [grins].
cheers,
Jess
A new workshop on the most important element of poetry-
'Rhythm and Meter in Poetry'
https://www.neopoet.com/workshop/rhythm-and-meter-poetry
alidzain
Tue, 2014-06-17 18:38
Hello Robert
This is a pleasant read indeed. I, myself am guilty of not thanking Him for all the blessings I have in life even though I know He is there. I guess we all are guilty of it in some point in our life. Fortunately He is Most forgiving and merciful. :)
Alid
Seren
Fri, 2014-06-20 11:11
Dear Robert
I really still shouldn't be here but with some amazing medical help I am here and I am still battling on, there were times I thought I was going to checkout but something always brought me back from the brink, I haven't seen god or had an miraculous experience but I have to say there have been times I have felt a presence or an energy
I don't actually believe in god per se but I do believe there is something more miraculous than us and our existence, I wear a cross all the time but I don't go to church I don't get involved in ecclesiastical debates because I am still sitting half off and half on the fence
its not like I am waiting for a sign or anything, or maybe I am, who knows I don't lol
great poem I have loved reading the comments that have been generated from it
kindest regards Jayne
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” — W.B. Yeats
Robert Melliard
Wed, 2014-06-25 21:30
Your illness
Many thanks for your touching and heartfelt comment. I have battled with illness myself for the last fifteen years (mental illness, but still awful) and I now seem to have recovered, which I can assure you is a wonderful experience, so I really hope you recover too. As to belief in God I have started to wonder if it might be worth it just in case He really does exist. Who knows? It would be nice to get in contact with Him if He did!
Best wishes,
Robert.
author commentGeremia
Fri, 2014-06-20 11:20
Yes. The fight is done...I am
Yes. The fight is done...I am closer than ever to that "mystery'" And, frankly, it scares the shit out of me. My fait is not strong enough, And, my Jayne, I have been waiting for a ""sign"" for years,
Well written and meaningful.
Robert Melliard
Wed, 2014-06-25 21:38
Your fate
sounds unpromising. As I have just suggested to Jayne, it might be worth trying to get in touch with God just in case He really is out there somewhere. I say that although I have been an agnostic for most of my life. If you are near death I suggest you try to think of all the positive things you have done in your life, which probably mean that it has been worth living at least. I know it's easy to be philosophical about death when one is not very close to it, but I have a fair chance of having a heart attack (high cholesterol) or stomach cancer (my father died of that when he was seventy) so I never know when I might pop off. Nor does anyone for that matter.
Best wishes,
Robert.
author commentGeremia
Thu, 2014-06-26 02:36
My faith has waned, but I see
My faith has waned, but I see my priest for communion . I m housebound and he comes whenever I need to talk
You are right in all you say--yet when you are so close to the inevitable all reason leaves you. There has been a sudden and unexpected deterioration. At least I am able to take care of myself since I am alone, In the end I am just following the path of all those who went before me, What happens is a mystery, but something does happen,
Joe
weirdelf
Tue, 2014-06-24 08:39
For every close call there is a death
Ascribing meaning to it is a perfectly understandable reaction to finding meaning in life. Meaning comes from understanding, evidence, knowledge, not superstition. If I had "guardian angels" they would have to work shifts with prolonged leaves of absence for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A man falls from a plane, lands on a snow covered pine tree into a snow drift and walks away without a scratch. A man slips and knocks his head on a coffee table and dies.
There is a very simple test to decide whether a piece of writing is poetry or prose. Copy and paste it into Word, search and replace all the line breaks with spaces. This is prose. Very nicely written prose, but prose, and, I'm sorry to say, provides no evidence whatsoever for any supernatural being looking after you or the victims of any so-called interventionist being.
cheers,
Jess
A new workshop on the most important element of poetry-
'Rhythm and Meter in Poetry'
https://www.neopoet.com/workshop/rhythm-and-meter-poetry
Robert Melliard
Tue, 2014-06-24 09:08
Touché
I am basically not superstitious but I just realised that I had had a surprising number of lucky escapes, as if I was PERHAPS being saved for some mysterious purpose, BUT ONLY PERHAPS, JUST A DOUBT. On the old question of poetry or prose I think that it would be possible to turn many free verse poems into prose by removing the line breaks, but that doesn't mean they're not poems when they're WITH the line breaks.
Best wishes,
Robert.
author commentweirdelf
Tue, 2014-06-24 09:23
Try it with some free verse poems,
you may well be surprised to find that they still read like poetry. Poetry is a craft with many devices, rhyme and meter only part of them.
cheers,
Jess
A new workshop on the most important element of poetry-
'Rhythm and Meter in Poetry'
https://www.neopoet.com/workshop/rhythm-and-meter-poetry
Robert Melliard
Wed, 2014-06-25 21:42
O.K.
I'll try it.
Best wishes,
Robert.
author commentthemoonman
Sat, 2014-06-28 00:34
Robert,
Jess is correct, this is prose. The simplest way to tell
the difference is, Poetry connects the reader to the poem,
either by sense or an inner connective in a personal way,
Prose connects the reader to the writer. That being said,
prose can be quite affective engaging all three, the poem,
the reader and the writer. Your subject matter is what is so
attractive to most here, everyone can honestly say (or most)
that they have had close calls. I personally don't attribute it to
any supernatural forces but hey, we each have our own thoughts.
Richard