Poem: "The Children Made Manifest"
This poem came out of the February 4, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from Dreamwidth user Chanter_greenie. It also fills the "enlightenment" square in my 1-31-14 card for the Origfic Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored out of the general fund, based on an audience poll. It belongs to the series Fledgling Grace.
The Children Made Manifest
Grace is not in Heaven alone,
nor corruption in Hell.
Each of these are in us
and in our neighbors,
the children of God or the Devil,
whether brothers and sisters
hold hands in peace
or raise them against one another.
In this the children of God are manifest,
and the children of the Devil:
whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God,
neither he that loveth not his brother.
Grace is in the hand
of the fledermaus
lifted to block a blow
from falling upon another,
and it is grace that exchanges
fur for feathers.
Beloved, let us love one another:
for love is of God;
and every one that loveth is born of God,
and knoweth God.
Corruption is in the hand
of the Rhode Island red
swinging down toward
the curl of a blameless back
and it is corruption that smears
feathers into fur.
He that loveth not knoweth not God;
for God is love.
This is what has been written
in letters of flesh and bone,
angel quills piercing human skin
or demon wings wrapping around souls.
This time we were sent not a messenger,
but a message within ourselves.
Herein is love,
not that we loved God,
but that he loved us,
and sent his Son
to be the propitiation for our sins.
We do not fully understand
what God means by this,
only that it is ours to follow
like a weathercock seeking the wind.
We turn and turn to each other
in search of some comfort.
Beloved, if God so loved us,
we ought also to love one another.
We do not know exactly
what brought on this enlightenment,
why people now bear wings and tails,
only that these new features
reveal things once hidden,
pushing at us like the wind,
like the invisible hand of God.
If there is one thing we have learned
from the Fledging, it is this:
Everything inside will come out.
* * *
Notes:
Good and evil appear in all people. Know how to tell good from evil.
"In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."
King James Bible, 1 John 3:10
http://biblehub.com/parallel/1_john/3-10.htm
The altercations are described further in " Pluck."
Bullying and hate crimes cause serious trouble for gay and trans people. You can help stop bullying.
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God."
King James Bible, 1 John 4:7
"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."
King James Bible, 1 John 4:8
http://biblehub.com/parallel/1_john/4-8.htm
Divine messengers may be messiahs or ordinary people.
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
King James Bible, 1 John 4:10
Universal love may be practiced through meditation and other methods.
"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."
King James Bible, 1 John 4:11
The Children Made Manifest
Grace is not in Heaven alone,
nor corruption in Hell.
Each of these are in us
and in our neighbors,
the children of God or the Devil,
whether brothers and sisters
hold hands in peace
or raise them against one another.
In this the children of God are manifest,
and the children of the Devil:
whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God,
neither he that loveth not his brother.
Grace is in the hand
of the fledermaus
lifted to block a blow
from falling upon another,
and it is grace that exchanges
fur for feathers.
Beloved, let us love one another:
for love is of God;
and every one that loveth is born of God,
and knoweth God.
Corruption is in the hand
of the Rhode Island red
swinging down toward
the curl of a blameless back
and it is corruption that smears
feathers into fur.
He that loveth not knoweth not God;
for God is love.
This is what has been written
in letters of flesh and bone,
angel quills piercing human skin
or demon wings wrapping around souls.
This time we were sent not a messenger,
but a message within ourselves.
Herein is love,
not that we loved God,
but that he loved us,
and sent his Son
to be the propitiation for our sins.
We do not fully understand
what God means by this,
only that it is ours to follow
like a weathercock seeking the wind.
We turn and turn to each other
in search of some comfort.
Beloved, if God so loved us,
we ought also to love one another.
We do not know exactly
what brought on this enlightenment,
why people now bear wings and tails,
only that these new features
reveal things once hidden,
pushing at us like the wind,
like the invisible hand of God.
If there is one thing we have learned
from the Fledging, it is this:
Everything inside will come out.
* * *
Notes:
Good and evil appear in all people. Know how to tell good from evil.
"In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."
King James Bible, 1 John 3:10
http://biblehub.com/parallel/1_john/3-10.htm
The altercations are described further in " Pluck."
Bullying and hate crimes cause serious trouble for gay and trans people. You can help stop bullying.
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God."
King James Bible, 1 John 4:7
"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."
King James Bible, 1 John 4:8
http://biblehub.com/parallel/1_john/4-8.htm
Divine messengers may be messiahs or ordinary people.
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
King James Bible, 1 John 4:10
Universal love may be practiced through meditation and other methods.
"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."
King James Bible, 1 John 4:11