Monday, March 5, 2012

Thou Shalt Not


POETRY PICNIC
asks us to deal with one of the deadly sins

THOU SHALT NOT

Why is coveting such a sin? It really seems quite mild.
I've been coveting this and that ever since I was a child.
Little Ruby's chocolate bar; and, later on, her beaux;
Lots of things have been coveted; it's normal, goodness knows.
Acting on coveting...... well, of course, that's quite a different thing;
Bashing Ruby in a rage, stealing her diamond ring!
But, merely coveting something, is a normal part of life;
Even that dreadful no-no....... 'coveting your neighbour's wife.'
Pity an ancient Israelite, trying to do his best,
When it wasn't the doing but the thinking that put him to the test.
He must have been in a turmoil, trying to control his brain,
With no psychiatric help around to help him take the strain.
The more he'd try to control himself, putting out his mental fire,
The more he must have thought about the object of his desire!
Accept the fact that you 'covet'; it's not a terrible sin;
If you worry too much about it, neurosis will begin.
Look at your neighbour's big new car and mutter 'How I'd love it!'
But don't be hard upon yourself thinking 'I must not covet!'
*
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CHAOS THEORY

I believe in Chaos because it seems to me
That turbulent and messy is how things are meant to be.
Take that wretched universe! Why don't planets match?
Why on earth do they vary so? Tell me; what's the catch?
Things created the same way from the same primeval dust
Must be much more similar; it's obvious! They must.
But no! They're higgledy-piggledy; some gaseous and some not;
A completely chaotic universe is what we've finally got!
So it doesn't really surprise me when things in my own life
Refuse to be ordered and dignified, but full of mess and strife.
I subscribe to Chaos Theory. Everything's so immense,
Unmatched, far-fetched and peculiar, that nothing makes much sense.
So, when his socks get lost in the wash, my husband should not get terse;
After all, I'm obeying a Law of the Universe!
*

3 comments:

Jamie Dedes said...

I suppose it depends on what you covet.

I always thing creativity comes out of chaos.

Excellent poems. Nice post.

Chim's World of Literature said...

i think we all have done one or more of these sins without ever realizing the punishment.i truly loved this..

i have also read that you met someone from Cape Town, I am from cape Town...

Anonymous said...

loved the message in the prose!

Luna