! ' How Can God Allow This...? ' Poem by Michael Shepherd

! ' How Can God Allow This...? '



The cry goes up…
making atheists out of believers,
believers out of atheists…

The answer offered from the wise
or wiser, is
God granted Man freewill…
without qualification…

so couldn’t He have arranged
that we could commit suicide,
but not murder? Wouldn’t that
be fairer…?

Seems not – He has to keep
by His own rules; those same inexorable rules
that allow a single tyrant
to bring down a whole nation -
do we dare say: with its own consent?

And man seeks to rule his fellows’ lives
by some shadow of that divinely ordained law:
granting to us, in some countries, though not all,
the right to carry arms… that gun
we carry ‘for our own defence’;
we who cannot all defend ourselves
against our own impulses;
we who defend the right
to portray murder without limit on our screens…
as if to see it acted out, still preserves, maintains,
even asserts, our innocence…
we, too, dispense freewill..
and call it ‘rights’…

the solemn bells ring deep and slow;
pause; say nothing; remember; learn.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Moises Reconalla 18 April 2007

Sir, your poem is one of the finest piece that I ever read! Keep it up! Thanks for leaving a comment in my 2 poems. Hope to hear you soon. Take care and God bless!

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Scarlett Treat 18 April 2007

Famous line - Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee! ' If only America was listening, we might just hear more than the tolling of the bell....

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Sigh. Yes, it makes one wonder the question you pose so eloquently. t x

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Gregory Gunn 21 April 2007

It is absolutely appalling and mind-boggling to think in some States, just about anyone (they run a quick check to see if the individual has a criminal record) , in the time it takes to cop a shave, can purchase a firearm and ammunition. And there are 32 other States besides Virginia where it is even easier to obtain them. A provocative piece expertly crafted, Michael. Respectfully, Greg

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Anna Russell 22 April 2007

the right to carry arms… that gun we carry ‘for our own defence’; we who cannot all defend ourselves against our own impulses; A big 'Hear, hear' to the whole thing Michael, but especially those potent lines. A fantastic write. Hugs Anna xxx

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Fay Slimm 24 August 2008

Portraying murder on our screens or even in all the daily rags is but another bell which tolls so loud we must be deaf if we cannot hear. Yes, pause, listen and certaily learn we must. Best wishes for another unforgettable piece. From Fay.

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Yen Cress 24 October 2007

When God made Adam and Eve, His most important gift to them was free will, which they were warned could be a treasure or a time bomb. They chose the path of selfishness, and brought evil into the world. Later, Israel was told, 'Choose you this day whom you will serve.' We today have choices, too, and the consequences are evident all around us. Sometimes we suffer from our own foolish choices, sometimes from the unwise decisions of others. Your poem eloquently expresses the frustration resulting from trying to determine the ultimate cause of evil-but as the saying goes, when we point a finger at someone else, we have the rest of the fingers pointing right back to us! Excellent commentary, and so well put! ! !

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Alice Anne Gordon 27 September 2007

Men against god? Lets us for a moment take god out of the equation... You are left with man's responsibility? I could be wrong but... I loved your writting (I've only just started to read it today...1187 pieces! ! ? and such an impressive bio!) I look forward to reading more. All the very best. Regards AA Gordon

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Good Morning Michael - Very sensibly put, if only the right people would read this sort of thing. But of course you're preaching to the choir. I'm a pretty lonely singer down here in Montgomery, Alabama. Our mayor has ordered the citizens of our fair city to arm and protect ourselves, against each other. For some strange reason murders have doubled so far this year, and police force is over 100 short. After I wrote a poem called Montgomery last year and posted it, at least they arrested the officers that were selling drugs. If you get a chance would you read my poem 'If I Should Lose My Soul.' Bless you. Cheryl

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Laterressa Fowler 16 May 2007

its very good. like the way it gets you thinking alittle. to bad that even if we're allowed to think for our selves, theres a point in all our lives when we ask why god allows for things to happen. but thats life.

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Michael Shepherd

Michael Shepherd

Marton, Lancashire
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