and now for something a tad different..

a progressive ballad (draft i.)

behind moments
of piercing light,
everpresent
grey clouds reason,
hope, emotion,
and that other.
this is 'the life
under the sun' -
no conclusions,
only a morass
of distrustful,
poor 'evidence.'
what to conclude,
what do we see
fro the mere breath
of sense and space?
our fate is a
night of twilight.
discovery:
the twilight is
not a limit,
but rather Truth
in the absence
of any other.
(at least any
we can verify.)

to claim a god,
even The God
is then a show
and denial
of the only
Truth we can show.
the lack of proof
itself a proof,
or even a
complete disproof -
what do I care?
irrelevant.
passing from a
question of truth
to a matter
of convenience
and coherence,
I see no need.
it has passed to
the subjective:
unanswerable
questions that have
no bearing on
my moral life.

for morality
is still a goal -
and a noble one!
why shouldn't it?
to disobey
your conscience
is an act of
inward treason.
whether I cloak
it in a shroud
of 'reason' or
social contract -
whatever words
conceal the cause,
I have still found
the long-sought goal.

morality and
no God in sight.

'a mind awake'
is terrifying,
but a conscience
life-shattering.
no god in sight,
but the conscience
must be appeased,
be satisfied.
with nothing more
than a dark fog
at his command,
what higher truth
does man possess
than this rela-
tive, entirely
progressive thought?

ancients spoke thus:
'fear of the LORD
is the begin-
ing of wisdom.'
let us be clear:
never was a
more backwards and
primitive thought
captured by the
record of men.
the label is just
and the contempt
absent of fault,
for religion
of hate and fear
is exericse
of rhetoric
by sacred priests.
elaborate
unnecessary
and militant
imposition
of one conscience
and so much more.

a benefit of
having no faith
unsubstantiate
is that I know
the bounds of
my grey beliefs.
tolerance comes
automatic
and I am thus
free from the one
universally
agreed grievance.
but I cannot
take credit for
this great light-burst.
instead I will
humbly exalt
the winding of
history and
my experiences,
random yet wise;
with these in mind,
self-righteousness
is beyond me.

a Christian said

'without immortality,
everything is permitted.'

here is an abyss,
something that
we dare not draw
near to.
the anarchy
of conscience is
progressive as
long as it is
not taken too
seriously.
it requires
composure, a
courage that can
quickly leave
if you unwisely
plug the depths
of genuine
anarchy.
but if we take a
swift step back,
we see that this
is merely an
example of
natural law:
all things found in
moderation.
I know of no
other way to
escape this piece
of incomplete
reductio
ad absurdum.

ev'ry honest
belief has a
god in function.
in sum, my god
is certainly
not what they, in
arrogance call
the God of gods.
unable to
place the crown
on a mere man's brow,
I set it on
the mantle of
no-God-conscience.
anything else
is backwards fear
or idolatry.
a quiet word
softly comes: to some
contemptible,
but I regard
it a noble
defense of will,
a rebellion.