Darkness, Man, And God! Poem by Eric Cockrell

lonliness...
the soul cried out for
the presence of god,
even while held in the womb!

and so stars appeared,
for we feared darkness...
forgetting darkness our mother.
and we howled as wolves,

until there was fire.
yet the flesh we cooked
was our own...
darkness wept, and created dawn.

and the tribes of man rebelled
against the scent of the mother...
and civilization was born.
and men created distance,

between themselves,
between themselves and god.
so man created progress,
fueled by conceptual learning...

and so fed his fears,
and the distance widened!
so men created images of god,
faces cold and wrathful!

and men killed each other,
being drunk with blood.
and men raped the earth,
as savage beasts,

without the heart of animals.
prophets came and pointed the way,
men sold their words for profit!
unable to love, men learned to hate...

till the world aflame screamed, 'stop! '
and hunger became the way of the masses...
hunger for bread, and something more.
the great mother's tears fell like rain...

and the womb shuddered in silence.
till one by one, pilgrims extending hands,
formed a bridge, and lit a lantern.
and the children, born and yet unborn...

returned to the womb of darkness.
praying love and touching human faces,
aware of the presence that never left.
the sun set in glory on the cool dark night...

knowing dawn, as sure as the stars,
was coming! the howl of wolves,
the barking of dogs, the flap of wings...
suddenly silent with awe...

and connection!