Written by Kevin Stuart Brodie
God Emeritus
for Dan Blair
God isn’t very busy
these days.
Mostly, He stays in his office
reading Jefferson,
or the words of Brahma.
The clock on the wall
will sometimes catch
his eye, though,
and He’ll venture
downstairs.
The engineers and theologians,
in their maroon sweater vests,
tweed jackets,
brown penny loafers,
are all gathered
in the conference room
when God walks in.
They have their charts, papers,
calculations, eyeglasses.
God, trying to be inconspicuous,
finds a seat in the back.
The engineers ignore Him,
while the theologians smile,
hoping for His
acknowledgment and approval.
As usual, He gives neither.
The engineers puff on their pipes
and argue that the research is finished
that the watch has yielded all its secrets
and all parts are easily replicated.
The theologians maintain
they are less certain
about the watch,
and cite God’s work
to support their positions.
Throughout all this,
God is mostly silent,
but occasionally laughs out loud.
Some of them snicker along,
in feigned understanding
while others pretend not to hear.
After all, He couldn’t
be laughing at them.
About once a week,
God is invited to a ceremony
in His honor.
People He’s never met
will claim intimacy with Him
and sing His praises.
It’s always in some ornate structure
with high, cavernous ceilings,
tall kaleidoscopic windows
and ostentatious gold trim.
The food is usually quite sparse
but the wine is always good.
Later, they always want
him to sign copies
of his unauthorized biography
collected in a handsome leather volume
with notations and secondary comment.
But He usually slips out early.
Mostly, though,
He stays in his office
contemplating a Great Mystery
of some sort
and when the snow flakes
like white, dusty seraphims
fall past His window,
God smiles tenderly to Himself
and whispers “right on time.”
Text © Kevin Stuart Brodie
*
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Thank you!
Thanks very much!
Such a great poem.
Gwen.