.

In the Name of Whose God

“If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere
insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to
separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line
dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being
and who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”
—Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Roots of war sown from a biblical past;
seize possession with power to cast

battles for borders, lines drawn in sand;
bombs sear the sky and scorch arid land.

In the name of whose God, are prayers being said;
innocent hostages amongst the dead.

The mournful dove, on stilled broken wings;
no olive branch in a peace offering.

In the name of whose God, does justice lie,
in solidarity they comply,

in creeds resolute, without concession;
ethos fuels hostile aggression.

Allegiant perceptions in blind belief;
locked in the abyss of abject grief.

In the Name of whose God will there be peace?

.

.

Winter Solstice

Silos stand like sentinels, in the drifting snow;
Rusty barn door hinges, yawning down below.

Cloistered cows muse, in solemn hymns of rite;
Earth curls under flannels, robed in frosty white.

Bleating lambs lay down, innocent and meek;
Birds seek arms of shelter, in a lofty peak.

Pastures stilled, as sharper shadows begin to fall;
Evening richly draped us in a woven shawl.

.

.

Paulette Calasibetta is a retired interior designer. Her poetry has appeared on line and in print in numerous journals and anthologies.

NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets.

The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.

 

***Read Our Comments Policy Here***

 

7 Responses

  1. Mary Gardner

    “Winter Solstice” is a calm, beautiful depiction.
    In the third stanza, the bleating lambs should “lie” down, not “lay,” to maintain the present tense throughout.

    Reply
    • Paulette Calasibetta

      Thank you Mary, I appreciate your comments and your critique of my oversight.

      Reply
  2. Paul Freeman

    The imagrry in Winter Solstice really captures the cold and dark of winter. I loved the ‘cloistered cows’.

    ‘In the Name of Whose God’ starts with a quote we should all dwell on. I was particularly taken by the mention of hostages. In many armed conflicts it’s the civilians who are held hostage one way or another by the combatants. And we always seem to bring God into the business of killing.

    I like the way your two poems balanced out the submission, Paulette, the abnormalcy of people battling people versus the normalcy of Nature testing Nature.

    Thanks for the reads

    Reply
  3. Peter Venable

    Much, much theology in your 1st poem, Whose God. Good crafted poem: I add none of the OT wars and carnage etc are found in the New Testament as the Prince of Peace strives to rule warring males’ hearts. “Communism” is a godless god, the State. Blessings to you.

    Reply
  4. Margaret Brinton

    Paulette,
    An artist should be at an easel painting your beautiful “Winter Solstice”!

    Reply
  5. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Paulette, you have a gift for writing memorable couplets that inspire and intrigue. You asked a great question in the first poem that was a starkly pointed arrow at humanity. “Winter Solstice” brought back memories of my time on the farm as a youngster in South Dakota. I could feel the shiver both from remembering how cold it was and how elegantly you described the situation.

    Reply
  6. Brian Yapko

    You have captured well the ancient roots of war. Your theme begs the question: is God ours or are we God’s? His Justice may look rather different from what mortals assume. Or as the old saying goes, men plan and God laughs.

    The “Solstice” language is gorgeous.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.