Atheist Poetry: "God Died" by Bill Barnes

[ysabetwordsmith]

When discussing religion, for the sake of completion, one should consider atheism among the traditions. It can be a personal path but it also has a wider culture of its own, shared tenets of belief. That does include positive beliefs, chiefly to do with human morality and the value of rational thought, not just the negative statement that there is no deity.

Atheists write poetry too. They can be snarky about slaying the sacred cows. But they can also reveal the lyric beauty of the human mind, the courage of being mortal in a worldview that does not encompass eternal life or any special divine purpose. It is enough to be human. That's special on its own. We can be marvelous, moral creatures without need for an outside source of it.

Untitled (God Died)
by Bill Barnes, an ex-Christian

God died today in the heart of another man.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,
And in this soil a seed is planted.

God died today in the mind of another woman.
The black dirt, the moist earth,
From this new garden, wisdom grows.

I was always taught that God died that I might live.
I never realized how true this was.
His death nourishes the seeds of wisdom, happiness, and freedom.

This is a eulogy, a benediction.
I am saddened by my loss,
But know a better life is ahead of me.

Love and hate marked this relationship.
I loved this mythical invisible father.
I hated the crotchety old judge.

Like the child of an alcoholic,
Or a battered wife, who still loves her husband,
I am glad he’s gone, but I still miss him.

The new garden I have has wonderful plants,
But I still have to pull weeds of doubt and guilt,
It’s my responsibility now.

As a child must grow and leave the safety of home,
I have grown and left the eternal security of heaven.
I have outgrown my god, and laid him to rest.