My God

Mark Twain

If I could create my own god

a soul of both solace and mirth

He who needs no one’s flatteries

nor demands them from all the earth

 

He would not possess jealousy

a trait that even men despise

Showing each one he is equal

within the lord of this worlds eyes

 

Having made of each a sinner

he would love all of us the same

Blaming himself for our failings

not tempering us in a flame

 

Our lives would be a tapestry

a quilt of love, that beauty built

Where he'd take pride in what we are

and not punish us, for his guilt

 

Author's Note

We have to keep our God placated with prayers, and even then we are never sure of him -- how much higher and finer is the Indian's God......Our illogical God is all-powerful in name, but impotent in fact; the Great Spirit is not all-powerful, but does the very best he can for his injun and does it free of charge.
Mark Twain

It seems that it truly is our own intolerance of others that will do us all in. We need to occasionally look at ourselves and the things we believe. How else can we ever effect change. It almost makes me wonder why Jesus decided to come here as a 6 ft white man with blue eyes. This in a area where the population is under six ft tall and has light brown skin and brown eyes. He certainly would have stood out. We all know what populations do to those who are different. It is enough to ponder that a man doesn't know if he should laugh or cry! Could it be as simple an observation as this? Could it be true that man created God in his own image? That would surely be one way of explaining him acting like us.

Reviews

[jdr / Jennifer]

A very powerful, very courageous write. Although we all seem to think differently about religion- I wanted to comment on the beauty and elegance that this poetic piece of writing exuberates. 'Our lives would be a tapestry, a quilt of love that beauty built'- stunning imagery- and this piece has a wonderful flow about it. On a more personal note of its contents: ‘Do I believe In God?- Yes.’ But I also believe that God would want us to ask questions and to never stop searching for what ‘we’ believe in as individuals and as a whole. To find out what helps us get through life and experience it in all its glory. To learn to from every step we take and to pass our experience, our lessons and our love on to others. Not to doubt that there is a higher power than ourselves, but to find what it is that we believe in our own heart of hearts. I do not think that it is for us to prove in our own time, but to just believe… And to have the vast majority of the world believe… That is some miracle. No matter what name you give to it.

Thank you for sharing your incredible talent.

[Tate Morgan]

You always seem to intently study what you read.i appreciate that immensely. I never have been one to be led by the masses .I always make up my own mind. I look at the Soviet Union for instance and there was a government and way of living adhered to by an entire culture.Yet flawed to the core. I think we always need to evolve.If I were thew father of humanity I would not create a subspecies below me in every way. As a father i want my son to become more than me not to strive to be worthy of me.

[lee von cleef]

"More than me" , (A hitch hiker on your conversation) "More than me" I believe is a very Christen thought,not a universal one ,though it would be nice if all thought that way.

[Tate Morgan]

You are no hitch hiker lol To me you are a fellow traveler on the light /

[Wórdsmíth]

I think i liked your you tube video much than your words's...lol
well, man it's really a nice one, beautiful write, your words're powerful here, liked your workin' way man.
your thought...your idea's deep to write...to think & moreover your video...well, that's an amazin' one.

[Onyia-Ali, Kingsley Chu..]

Wow!, absolutly nice, if that should be the case, then the world would become a paradise. Your words capture it enough, simple but carry an intense imagery. well done.

[Mysty Johnson]

Beautiful Tate. Very courageous write about religion where so many have differing views. I love the lines "Our lives would be a tapestry
a quilt of love, that beauty built"

I too think of life as a tapestry.

[N!LoC]

sigh.... wow is all i can say... this one enlightened me for a sec :-)

[patricia]

cant say i have ever thought of jesus as being a white man tate, knowing where he was born I have always thought of him as looking more like that.
Loved your poem. It made me think of the song....'If I had a hammer...I'd hammer out the morning, hammer out the evening, all over this land...I'd hammer out danger I'd hammer out warning, I'd hammer out the love between the brothers and my sisters all over this land....oooh oooh ooooh oo bye for now. Trish

[hundi]

The thought of creating your own god or thensome is a thought that we all should entertain, your right it is our own intolerance, good piece

[francis]

tate sorry you can"t

[Leslie Philibert]

a talented if poem that works above the borders of established religion - I believe that
spirituality is more than religion, above it...

[Kaylor Mason]

Actually, in the bible, it says that Jesus was not a nice-looking guy. He was homely and plain, but he still stood out in a crowd. He was imposing in a good way, like, memorable. He could definitely get your attention with a glance if he wanted to. I also don't know why the myth of a 6 ft. blue eyed man exists . . . no one knows the color of his eyes, and no one knows how tall he was. No one knows his build, or the color of his skin, either--though judging by that region's sun, he was probably deeply tanned. He was most likely lean; his family was poor. He would not have seemed rich or well-fed or a man of means . . . he was simply average in appearance.
All that aside, I like this poem . . . very honest and heartfelt.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you so much for your intelligent contemplations

[Kaylor Mason]

:)