seeing blind ..

faith so-called is a limousine ride when you're living the american dream-life of independence and financial security under the protection of the empire ..

there's a certain exclusive dignity, a pompous cliquish mindset that adorns those of us who relish our western christianity - after all, we're not muslim or jew or sikh or hindu or any of those other eastern religions ..
we're Christians !
we are a christian nation and will fight all comers to secure that
and damned proud of it too ..

and then
      tragedy ..
something threatening yawns and our life is endangered, or our career
and there before us lies naked the prospect of a radically altered life
   or of the loss of life itself ..
and, in the time it takes to hand you the dismissal notice or the doctor's report, life flipped
   things got real nasty

and that faith ..
well, somehow it got knocked-over and lies scrambled on the living room floor like a broken vase of undusted fake flowers
and who's going to ever be able to unscramble that, fit the pieces, glue me back my faith ..
..

seems my faith was a label really
a bumper sticker
a tax deduction
a study Bible complete with highlighter
a t-shirt
a tattoo
a TV channel
a popular christian book carefully displayed
a once-a-month visit to an old people's home to preach the gospel so they too can get our faith before eternity snorts and snuffs ..

         = faith not ..


contrarily, when life slams or death blinks its cold sightless eyes in the dark
faith scrambles-up and shakes its mangy matted fur
raises its nose to the wind to better identify the danger
growls gutturally in defiance, hackles rising

.. it is in the colddark that faith's pulse seems to beat strongest ..

so then ..