the face of faith

[Sampson]

today i saw a face
reflected
in the strangest of places

it was the face of my faith
and soon i was pacing
contemplating letters exchanged
between erasmus and henry VIII
back in the day
when change was set in motion
and long held notions
based on population control
and popular emotions
were challenged

martin luther managed
to tackle the catholic church
with a printing press
and his conviction
'the word' conveyed through
masterful diction and images
which captured a million
disallusioned imaginations

revolution is truth
and a spiritual coup
is nothing more than
the future
taking its rightful place
facing down legacies
peddling repetitive scripture

so while i sit up late
at a writing desk
trying to define the face
i saw today
i realise that the image
of faith will always change
be subject to heated debate
maybe even inspire hate

so i channel my faith
and write poetic prayers
to my own lost deity
but this deity is conversational
so they pray straight back to me
in the form of distorted reflections
of the face of faith

[Hawkman]

This is really rather clever and very entertaining. Nice one.

[PrinceMyshkin]

I was especially struck by

my own lost deity
...is conversational

which reminded me, happily, of the great black spiritual "I'm going to tell God / All my troubles / When I get there..."

[tailor STATELY]

2 Timothy 2 comes to mind when I read this poem... my failing.