Swaddled In Darkness Poem by gershon hepner

Swaddled in darkness, Pharisees
ask for signs, allegedly.
He who asks for wonders sees
wine when there’s a wine-dark sea,
but does not realize the time
for signs has gone, and molly-coddled
by an ancient paradigm
in darkness wishes to be swaddled
until he enlightened by
a rabbi, writer, or the reason
and rationales that edify
once Pharisees, though still in season,
mature enough to realize
that signs surround us like the sea,
provided we allow our eyes
to doubt what they can’t guarantee.
Unless we lose our passion for
beliefs that we adulterate
as sea does wine we will ignore
enlightenment, and stand and wait
around while waiting for a sign
obliviously iniquitous
of wonders of divine design
that clearly are ubiquitous.

Inspired by lines 17–19 of T.S. Eliot’s “Gerontion, ” an allusion to the Pharisee’s statement to Jesus is Matt.12: 38: “Master, we would see a sign from thee: ”

Signs are taken for wonders. “We would see a sign! ”
The word within a word, unable to speak a word,
Swaddled with darkness.
And by lines: 57–58 where the poet writes:
I have lost my passion: why should I need to keep it
Since what is kept must be adulterated?


12/29/09