my problem with praying he began to explain
but they silenced him
with guffaws and insolent scoffing
no they said
tell us first why you don’t eat
pork or prawns or lobsters or shrimps
or german blood sausage and do you really think
god hates people who eat oysters and frogs’ legs
and creamy beef stroganoff
my problem with praying he tried to explain
no they said
tell us first about the origin of evil
about who made hitler and pol pot
and were there quarks in the garden
of eden
my problem with praying he began once again
but still they scoffed
my problem with praying
he finally shouted
is that there is too much noise
everywhere
Jonathan Omer-Man ©2009
So, I’m not the only one whose prayers are interrupted by argument. “Argumentative Mind” and “Planning Mind” always seem to appear when I sit down to sacrifice and eat. Pages turn and I’ve passed from Baruch to Ashrei without managing to find silence. I can only persevere,giving faithfulness where I cannot offer faith.