In the Palm of God’s Hand
I dreamed I was in God’s palm
Not alone – a hundred or more
sought the same succor
I explored this miracle
Felt a callus on God’s finger
Sensitivity for the laborer
No silken luxuries in this hand;
traces of humankind’s misdeeds
His right eye, littered with shrapnel
Her left eye wept tears
black as the rains of Hiroshima,
thick as dredged Gulf Sea Tar
One arm was tattooed with a number,
the other bore scratches of barbed wire
from Matthew Shepard’s execution
The pinkie, blowing off bit by bit
by IEDs and drone strikes
His nose broken by bar fights,
her cheek bruised from spousal abuse
A rainbow was painted on God’s cheek
The children on God’s palm cried
One sold, one raped, one homeless
Adults cuddled them, sang songs
to them, and God smiled
“You are my angels on earth,
the face of Jesus, the form of
the Divine Sofia, and the human
evidence of my love for all
“Wake up and help me heal”
When I awoke, I prayed thanks
for this visit, and promised God
I’d give my all, with a servant’s hands
© 2013 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
Not written to any prompt, but on the Open Link page of Imaginary Garden With Real Toads and sidebar of Poets United. This was an actual dream… and there was so much more to tell. Peace, Amy
Idiocy Unchecked
Karzai says
the U.S.
is in bed with the Taliban
Bush made him
Bush portrayed him
as the new hope for Afghanistan
Troops dying
Drones flying
Hope dwindles for troops and locals
Speak up now
or this wretched row
will get old enough for bifocals
President
Earn your rent
Time has come to stop it
Tell command crew and
grunts, “It’s true,
come home!” Champagne? We’ll pop it
© Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
Headlines bled before my eyes. “Karzai accuses US of working with Taliban.” What an ungrateful putz, and yet, it’s perfect timing. Let’s blow out of there, right?
NOW will you end the war, Pres. Obama? This war is the longest in American history, and it’s been on your watch for the last full term, so it’s your war now, no matter that Dubya started it. Why don’t you “shock and awe” us by saying that since Bush’s puppet Afghan president no longer respects us, we’re out of there. Every IED is meant for either American troops or the Afghan police who work with them.
Call the White House at 202-456-1111. CALL EVERY DAY. And don’t forget to tell the volunteers it’s not their fault that Pres. Obama is messing up. Thank these kind people for their service, giving up their time to, as one vol put it, “Get one nice comment from you for every 12 people using the “N” word to describe the president.” Peace, Amy
PROMPTS:
The Trifecta 33-333 word challenge was the third definition of TIME (noun)
3a : an appointed, fixed, or customary moment or hour for something to happen, begin, or end
b : an opportune or suitable moment —often used in the phrase about time
Meanwhile, ABC Wednesday is on the letter I. “Idiocy” seemed apropos. Also at my very intelligent home away from home, Poets United, where I am proud to be a member!
Sharp Little Pencil 