I Don'T Believe (By Rachel) Poem by Herbert Nehrlich

Oh yes, I once believed in God,
Benevolence and oversight.
And in his son Jesus the Christ;
And found redemption there.
The Bible told me all the truths
And what was missed explained
By men of God who wore the cloth,
My doubts were nil and few.
With learning, thinking, life went on
Questions began to nibble.
As, why so many poor, my Lord?
And why so many pained?
You watch o'er all the Earth my Lord
And favor just a few?
As children die from dawn to dusk
For just a crust of bread,
Or from the things moquitoes brew
You stop to gather heads
And ponder your creations here;
Something to paint with pride?
Maybe I'm blind and cannot see
Your vast and detailed plan.
I'm told it's all because of Eve
And her first mate, the Man.
In mocking you they learned some truths
And stirred your wrath eternal.
From these first two, mankind must stand
And pay, it seems, forever.
Reward will come, so you have said,
as we succumb to death.
So create Life? Why did you, Lord?
To make us crave the end?
From that time on, I've faith in Man
At times a feeble stand
For man can think and do and plan,
inspired he is noble
He can create for year on year
Can selflessly help others,
Can love, can build, can paint, can write,
And most of all can reason.
Oh man is base and man is crass
And man has Evil too;
Man must deceive and man contends
Makes war and more but yet;
A part of me, a part of you,
Invested in each other,
The web of life ensnares us all
Without the goal to heaven.

So now I don't believe in Him
would tell this to his face,
Death do us part, the end is grim
and none will leave with grace.

As nature takes my life away
my spirit shall return
perhaps His angels stop and pray
and gather 'round my urn.

© 2008 Rachel