Ellen Bass - Ode To The God Of Atheists

The god of atheists wont burn you at the stake
or pry off your fingernails. Nor will it make you
bow or beg, rake your skin with thorns,
or buy gold leaf and stained-glass windows.
It wont insist you fast or twist
the shape of your sexual hunger.
There are no wars fought for it, no women stoned for it.
You dont have to veil your face for it
or bloody your knees.
You dont have to sing.

The plums that bloom extravagantly,
the dolphins that stitch sky to sea,
each pebble and fern, pond and fish
are yours w...