BEAUTIFUL BLUE MARBLE

BEAUTIFUL BLUE MARBLE

 

 

THE EARTH CAME INTO VIEW

FOR THE ASTRONAUTS

AS A BEAUTIFUL BLUE MARBLE

AGAINST THE DARKNESS OF SPACE

AND THE HORIZON OF THE MOON

 

A BEAUTIFUL BLUE AGGIE

AS WE USED TO CALL MARBLES

WHEN I WAS A CHILD

 

NOT ANY MARBLE

BUT THE PRECIOUS SHOOTER

WHICH WHEN YOU LOST WAS GLOOMSVILLE

 

WAS GOD PLAYING MARBLES

WHEN HIS SHOOTER

FLUNG MATTER INTO SPACE

WHEN THE EARTH WAS CALLED OUT OF NOTHINGNESS

 

ARE THERE OTHER WORLDS

GOD’S GENEROSITY KNOWS NO LIMITS

 

DOES EACH OF THEM HAVE THE DESIGN FLAW OF FREE WILL

 

DID GOD IN HIS INSATIABLE NEED FOR LOVE

CREATE OTHER WORLDS

 

MAYBE SO

BUT OUR FIRST WORRY

SHOULD BE

TO MAKE THIS WORLD

THIS BEAUTIFUL BLUE MARBLE

THE PARADISE IT WAS MEANT TO BE

 

FRANK A VOLLMER

BELLY OF THE BEAST

.

IN THE LAND OF CANAAN

WHICH THE ISRAELITES

SHARED WITH ISRAEL

NOT ALWAYS PEACEFULLY

THEIR LOCAL GOD WAS BAAL

TO WHOM AT TIMES THEY SACRIFICED CHILDREN

THROUGH A DOOR

AT THE BASE OF HIS STATUE

CALLED BELLY OF THE BEAST

BAAL WORSHIP

WAS A CONTINUAL SOURCE OF INFECTION TO THE ISRAELITES

THE PROPHETS RAILED AGAINST IT

THEY HAVE FILLED THIS PLACE

WITH THE BLOOD OF INNOCENTS

THEY HAVE BUILT THE HIGH PLACES OF BAAL

TO BURN THEIR SONS IN THE FIRE

AS BURNT OFFERINGS TO BAAL

IN OUR MODERN DAY

WE SAY

 HOW COULD THEY

FORGETTING WE SACRIFICE CHILDREN

TO THE GOD OF WAR

PROFIT

HATRED

CONVENIENCE

WE NEED TO CLOSE THAT DOOR

SAY ENOUGH

AS JESUS SAID

IF ANYONE CAUSES ONE OF THESE LITTLE ONES

—THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN ME—

TO STUMBLE,

 IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR THEM

 TO HAVE A LARGE MILLSTONE

 HUNG AROUND THEIR NECK

 AND TO BE DROWNED

IN THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA

FRANK A VOLLMER

JUSTICE-LOVE

JUSTICE-LOVE

CORNEL WEST

A PRINCETON PROFESSOR

SAID

JUSTICE

IS WHAT LOVE LOOKS LIKE

 IN PUBLIC

IT BROUGHT TO MIND

A POLITICIAN

BRAGGING THAT ALL WELFARE RECIPIENTS

WILL HAVE TO TAKE DRUG TESTS

THIS BAND OF NEFARIOUS NE’ER DO WELLS

CONSISTS OF SINGLE MOTHERS

UNDERPAID WORKERS

VETERANS UNFIT FOR SOCIETY

WORKERS WHOSE JOB WAS LOST

IN THE NAME OF PROFIT

RETIREES WHOSE MONEY RAN OUT

THE OCCASIONAL DRUGGIE

STUDIES SHOW THAT 2.6 PERCENT

FAIL THE DRUG TEST

WE’VE BUILT A TRAP TO CATCH A RAT

BUT CAUGHT A MOUSE

WHILE POLITICIANS FAVOR RICH

OVER POOR

WHAT ARE WE SAYING TO HONORABLE PEOPLE

WHO DID EVERYTHING RIGHT

BUT HAVE TO ACCEPT CHARITY

AND DRUG TESTS

FRANK A VOLLMER

WHO MADE YOU TALLER

WHO MADE YOU TALLER

MY PEOPLE

MY PEOPLE

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY

CREATION

WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION

TO DETERMINE

WHO SHALL LIVE OR DIE

SING OR CRY

EAT OR STARVE

LEAD A PEACEFUL LIFE

OR HEAR GUNFIRE

THE WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

CAME INTO CHURCH

HE MINGLED WITH THE FLOCK  

A FRIEND

THEN MADE THE GOD-LIKE DECISION

TO SLAY THE FLOCK

IS THIS WHY YOU ATE THE TREE’S FRUIT

TO LIVE THIS WAY

IS THIS WHY

I CAME TO DIE

I MADE YOU IN MY IMAGE

HOW DARE YOU

CONSIDER ONE OF MY CREATION INFERIOR

ANGELS SING MY UNTIMELY RIPPED CHILDREN HOME

WHERE NO ONE STANDS TALLER THAN ANOTHER

COME ENJOY THE WORLD

I DREAMED OF

WHEN I MADE YOU

FRANK A VOLLMER

CHRISTIAN VALUES

CHRISTIAN VALUES

ON JULY FOURTH

I WAS WATCHING A PATRIOTIC SHOW

PRESENTED BY A LOCAL CHURCH

ALL WENT WELL

UNTIL THE MINISTER

 STARTED PRAISING THE CHRISTIAN ETHICS

 OF THE FOUNDING FATHERS

BRAVE MEN CERTAINLY

BUT TO CALL THEM CHRISTIAN IDEALISTS

I HESITATE ON THAT

THEIR PRIVATE GOODNESS I WON’T DEBATE

BUT THEIR PUBLIC MORALITY I WILL

AGAIN I HONOR THEIR BRAVERY

I CALL INTO DEBATE THE FACT THAT

30 LINES BELOW THE FAMOUS QUOTE

 "ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL,"

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

 REFERS TO NATIVES AS

 "MERCILESS INDIAN SAVAGES."

STEAL THEIR LAND

WHEN THEY RESIST

CALL THEM SAVAGES

WHO  IS THE SAVAGE

THIEF OR VICTIM

MANY OF THE FOUNDING FATHER WERE SLAVE OWNERS

AT THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

WHERE SLAVERY WAS DISCUSSED

Delegate John Rutledge of South Carolina told delegates that "religion and humanity have nothing to do with the questions" of whether the Constitution should protect slavery--it was simply a question of property rights.

THEY ACHIEVED

A COMPROMISE

ON HOW SLAVES WERE TO BE COUNTED

AS DECLARING

THAT A SLAVE SHOULD BE COUNTED

AS THREE FIFTHS OF A MAN

IMAGINE

A CHILD OF GOD’S CREATION

VALUED AS THREE FIFTHS OF A MAN

WHERE WERE THE BIBLE SCHOLARS

I HONOR THE FOUNDING FATHERS

BUT TO CALL THEM SAINTS

WOULD BE TO NOT REMEMBER THEM

WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO

TO FULFILL THE PROMISE OF AMERICA

MAY WE SET OUR SIGHTS ON THE GOAL

AND LIVE ACCORDINGLY

FRANK A VOLLMER

SNOW

SNOW

 

SNOW IS COLD

THIS FROM OUR URCHIN SCHOLAR

WHO HAD HER HAND UP

BEFORE THE QUESTION WAS ASKED

THE QUESTION ASKED

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM BIBLE CLASS TODAY

ALLOWING FOR THE INEPTNESS OF THE TEACHER

ME

IT WAS AN INTERESTING

 FUNNY ANSWER

REMEMBERING DAYS IN CLASSROOMS

WITH YOUR HAND UP

HOPING YOU WOULDN’T BE ASKED

THE QUESTION THEN WAS

WHY DOESN’T THE SUN SET ON THE BRITISH EMPIRE

IT WAS AN IMPORTANT QUESTION IN CANADA

BECAUSE I WAS VISIBLY IN DISTRESS

SOMEONE WHISPERED

BECAUSE OF THE FOG

IN DESPERATION

THAT WAS WHAT I WENT WITH

NEED I REMIND YOU

THAT CANING WAS ALLOWED IN THOSE DAYS

MY SEAT OF LEARNING WAS WARM THAT DAY

 

BUT BACK TO MY LITTLE SCHOLAR

HOW WRONG WAS SHE

WE HEAR THE BIBLE STORIES WEEKLY

DO THEY AFFECT OUR LIVES

OR IS OUR TOTAL RECALL OF THEM

THAT SNOW IS COLD

 

FRANK A VOLLMER