From Xristim
Folks –
For my first post in our blog against theocracy, I need to cite something from one of our own, Xristim who passed away in December. She was one of the bravest and best friends this blog or this boy could ever have. She was a Christian, but she was wary of the Religious Right. This is from a comment she posted in November, 2006.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS
Dedicated to the Absolutely Sure of Absolutely Everything
From Someone Who Isn’t
(c) XristiM 1998-2006
Into their Lazarus mouths they pop
God like round peppermint lozenges,
and with their resurrected teeth
grind Him small,
roll the bits with their tongues,
flooding them with saliva and
the exhalations of digestion.
Then they amble forth
to perform the work for which
they have anointed themselves
and each other,
breathing the judgment of an angry God strongly
into the nostrils of others.We can hear them at a distance,
from close enough can detect the stench
of self-righteousness.
And a wary eye can detect them in our midst,
with coats that show glossy fronts,
but on their backs,
hidden from their view
and from ours
unless we trouble ourselves to look,
reveal scraps and patches
like bandages over festering sores.We may protest, draw back in distaste,
alarmed to have God thrust upon us
smelling so pungently of mint
and the charnel house,
but they are relentless in pursuit
of fleeing souls.
They paralyze us with their certainty
that God lives in their mouths.For myself, I think the God has filed
His change of address:
He resides
not in the mouth, but in the heart.
I’m so busy posting links but if I didn’t stop and say thanks, Tengrain.
My goodness. I’m speechless.
This is an incredibly vivid piece of writing. Thank you for posting it, and my sincere condolences for your loss.
Thank you, Tengrain, for bringing XristiM front and center again. I miss that woman.
wow!!!! i thought that there were no artists out there fighting for change. i stand corrected. wow.
What a beautiful post. What a statement of truth. God resides in the heart. Such a private matter, faith is.
Ellroon (and others) – I miss Xristi almost everyday. She would have loved this blogswarm, and I’m sure she is sitting on her cloud right now, with a fresh pot of coffee pointing and laughing along with us.
Regards,
‘Grain
It is a beautiful poem. I have to say, it’s great to have religious people make these kinds of statements. When I say it, I just sound like an angry Atheist.
Though, I’ve never had the command of words to write something as short, beautiful, and meaningful as this.
I’m sorry I missed her, I’m glad she got herself down in writing before moving on.
I like it. Well done. I’m sorry for your lost.
This C/S blogswarm is a great idea. Huzzah!
HJ
Happy Jihad’s House of Pancakes
hjhop.blogspot.com
Loss! I meant loss! I’m sorry. I was raised by orthographically challenged poodles.
hj
Bing – we must be related, but my litter was terriers.
Regards,
Tengrain
That was incredibly powerful… as has this entire blogswarm been for me. Thanks to you all.
- Lynda
This is excellent. Thank you for sharing it with everyone.
BAC
signpost
it looked so easy, our heritage beckoned
the nation was, after all, christian
and so they began their crusade marching toward theocracy
and as they plodded the children wailed “are we there yet?”
and god whispered back “you’re going the wrong way”
The candy is bitter,
The poem delicious…
Their devout mouths,
Emptied of spirit.
Beautiful post, very moving. And a very beautiful blog I might add, the visual aesthetics are breathtaking.
Xristi was one of a kind.
At her wake, her friends displayed three volumes of her poetry, so I have great hope that someday, someone might publish it.
If you want to read more, please visit Xristi’s blog, Gadflying while it is still up and running. Sooner or later it will go offline.
And SadButTrue- thank you for your kind words. I try to make MPS as appealing as I can (having a deep interest in graphic design).
Regards,
Tengrain
[...] From Kristim: “We may protest, draw back in distaste, / alarmed to have God thrust upon us / smelling so [...]
I needed a “Xristi” fix and came across your posting. Thank you for spreading “her word”!/Tamsin