Suffer The Little Children
I think they have suffered enough.
Or is that why at the beginning of my first class, the campus monitor comes rushing into my room to tell me that two of my former students NEED me in the office. Why? Because their nine-week-old baby has died.
What the hell can I do with that but cry with them, see the joy that was finally in their eyes drain away, and pray that they had nothing to do with it? No accidents, no nothing. Just SIDS. And is that a comfort? No really.
So I will be rising for a funeral tomorrow morning for a child I held in my arms less than a month ago. A happy little bugger who squeeked like a cute, tiny raptor from Jurassic Park.
A co-worker said that this might be a blessing in disguise; as if God habitually dresses as the devil. Halloween came early this year, and his favorite costume is out: Death.
Why
______________________________
agnostos theos
(after Mark Jarman)
The conclusion I dread is not, ‘so there is no God,’ but,
‘so this is what God is like. Deceive yourself no longer.’
~ C.S. Lewis
in which of these details does God inhere?
within these tiny stiff hands? the blue face
which turned in the night, filling his nostrils
with the pillow screaming from mother’s hands?
the post-partum bottle found empty
beside the crib? the coroner’s exam,
which absolves his parent six weeks later?
where in these details is the hand and heart
of the silent but loving God? buried
beneath his many omni attributes;
beside their son; His own? or is it here:
John 3:16 read above the body
of the once 8-weeks-old; evil words of
sacrificed son and higher purposes.
~ MEH
Chase: December 21, 2007 - February 25, 2008.
MEH said this on March 1st, 2008 at 5:19 pm
in which of these details does God inhere?
within these tiny, stiff hands? the blue face
which turned in the night, filling his nostrils
with the pillow now thrown from mother’s hands?
in the post-partum capsules found empty
beside the crib? the coroner’s exam,
which absolves his parents six weeks later?
where in these details are the calloused hands
of the silent but present God? buried
beneath his many omni attributes;
beside their son; His own? or is it here:
John 3:16 read above the body
once 8-weeks-old; a faithful saying of
sacrificed son and higher purposes?
MEH said this on March 9th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
[after some MFA workshopping]
in which of these details does God inhere?
within these tiny, stiff hands? the blue face
which turned in the night, filling his nostrils
with the pillow now thrown from mother’s hands?
in the post-partum capsules found empty
beside the crib? the coroner’s exam,
which absolves his parents six weeks later?
where in these details are the calloused hands
of the silently toiling God? buried
beneath his many omni-attributes;
beside their son; His own? or are they here
holding the red words above the body
once 8-weeks-old? for God so loved the world?
these are the words which explain and aquit?
MEH said this on March 16th, 2008 at 3:40 am
There are now two other sections to this: we’ll see what happens.
MEH said this on March 30th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
http://greyparty.net/2008/04/09/agnostos-theos/
MEH said this on April 9th, 2008 at 1:26 am