Fundamentally Flawed

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

Fundamentalism, in any shape or form and in relation to any religion or cause…is a tragedy. The fundamentalist becomes as much a victim of his or her way of thinking as anyone that gets in its way.

Blood spilt and lives ruined can never be excused.

The main reason I cannot empathize with (any) religion is that is has, for centuries, been directly or indirectly responsible for shedding blood and dividing not only families but also whole communities; little if anything has changed as far as I can see, and the sheer intransigence of various socio-cultural-religious groups is largely responsible for the 21^st century getting off to a poor start.

Thank goodness (and we all need to remember) the majority of ordinary, religious-minded people are no more fundamentalists than the majority of ordinary German people were Nazis during Word War 2, the events leading up to it or since.  

This poem is a villanelle.

FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED

Love tempestuous,

root of evil

(death of Judas)

Wanton, impetuous,

dressed to kill,

love tempestuous

Deaf-blind justice

making its call

(death of Judas?)

Madly zealous

with a will…

love tempestuous

To truth, oblivious,

hope in free-fall

(death of Judas?)

Be fools or martyrs

at its call…

Love tempestuous,

death of Judas

Copyright R. N. Taber 2003; 2013

[Note: A slightly different version of today’s poem was first published in an anthology, Prisms of Light, Poetry Now (Forward Press) 2003, and subsequently in The Third Eye by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2004.]