Thursday, August 30, 2012

(Random, Capricious)




















(Random, Capricious)

I like to think I'd save him
If I could start again,
But there he was,
All fat body
And stringlike legs,
Scrambling up the tub,
Frantic to escape.
And there was a moment
When I could have stopped it all.

Turn the knob and gently scoop him up.

Instead, I cupped my hands,
Like that.
And poured as a libation,
So he became a heap of swirling legs.
So small. So small.
So meaningless to me.

Is God, I sometimes wonder,
In spite of all that I believe,
Like that?
Pouring down on those of us scrambling for purchase,
Unlucky enough to find ourselves
In the (random) wrong place
At exactly the (capricious) wrong time?

9 comments:

  1. This is a profound question with no solid answer. You have captured it well with the image of a spider and water. It seems more random than organized, and more capricious than planned. Lovely poem.

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  2. I've been arguing this for years, day after day. At times....but at other times...i can find no pattern to strengthen what i believe, yet i can't help but believe. Is this faith or desperation? Not even sure what i'd rather. You ask hard questions that are even harder to ignore.
    Rick

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  3. OK, you've gotten inside my head when I'm in the shower. We have a window in our shower so we often have "critters" in there - and I always debate about what to do with them. Mike rescues them - I usually drown them (although sometimes not on purpose).

    I also have the same God debate - and I haven't come down firmly on one side or the other.

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  4. I have wondered this myself........we so often find ourselves scrambling for purchase, just like the spider. To the spider, we must seem like the gods:)

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  5. I doubt that your spider gives us a second thought or consideration, unless it's to move out of the shadow of our foot, and perhaps that's much like our relationship with God -- we carry on with our daily to and fro, and try our best not to fall under the shadow of God's foot.

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  6. A difficult and thought provoking question ~ Its all relative in size and weight but I would like to think God measures and weighs us in different ways...ways we can't even comprehend ~

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  7. This gets on our senses! We often ask questions that we do not expect answers. The power of God somehow helps soften the impact. Nicely Karen!

    Hank

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  8. Love your opening, that drew me in. And those questions, "in spite of what I believe"... I can so relate. I do choose to believe God sees us as His children, small perhaps, but not meaningless to Him. Great write.

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  9. Hi, this is very deep and I like the images and questions it inspires.

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