Human Nature Redeemed OR G-A-Y, War Zone

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Some readers have asked me to repeat the link to my poetry reading on the 4th plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square back in July 2009 as part of UK sculptor Antony Gormley’s ‘living sculpture’ project One and Other in which 2,400 people from all walks of life were given an hour to do their own thing 24/7 over 100 days:

http://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20100223121732/oneandother.co.uk/participants/Roger_T [NB For now, this link does not work since the British Library installed new software with which it is not compatible, so it is no longer available to the public. However B L assure me that they still have the complete video (lasting an hour) and everyone will be able to access it at some future date] RNT Oct 16 2020 

Meanwhile...

This poem reiterates a point I make time and again in my poems; if some people from various socio-cultural-religious groups can remain true to their beliefs and still keep an open heart and mind...why not all?

Where is the humanity in any expression of prejudice, and what worth any religion or human life force without it?

HUMAN NATURE REDEEMED or G-A-Y, War Zone

As lightning flashed

and thunder came crashing all around

the church steeple,

we two friends sought shelter within,

but a priest moved us on

since we were not of his congregation

so would not be confessing

any sin and didn’t look the sort

likely to offer reparation

by way of a generous contribution

to the collection

Still, lightning flashed

and thunder crashed around the heads

of we wretched pair

who sought shelter in a synagogue,

but a rabbi moved us on

since we were not of his persuasion

and he was no Good Samaritan

(we could be robbers for all he knew)

nor must he keep his Hebrew class

waiting any longer for basic instruction

in the Torah

Under a hail of bullets we ran,

canon to our right, cannon to our left,

and drenched to the skin,

hoped a Sikh temple might take us in,

but were turned away again

since not of that persuasion so why

put on a show of compassion

to Unbelievers and upset the hierarchy

(especially the everyday devout)

so, no, better to play safe, stay dry,

let God test our spirit

Exhausted, we could stagger on,

fallen telegraph poles to left and right

that had the air of corpses

on a battlefield in this untimely night,

and then a mosque loomed into view

dark shadows beyond a half open door;

begged shelter from the storm

since Islam preaches love and peace

(well, doesn’t it…?) but the door

slammed shut, nothing said, left to take

our chances with the dead

We saw a kindly light in a window

that went out as we passed the house,

but its front door was flung wide;

a man and woman beckoned us inside,

welcomed us, found us blankets,

dried our clothes, fed us, fetched us tea,

without once asking our religion

or caring that (being gay) we weren’t

of their persuasion, but preferred

to forget sounds and signs of a war zone,

made us feel at home

 Copyright R. N. Taber 2009