With all the sorrows in the world,
And horrors that persist,
The fact that evil things occur,
Says God must not exist.
I see planes flown into buildings,
And bombs on crowded trains,
I see children raped and murdered,
Not finding their remains.
There are crooked politicians
Trying to take control,
There are priests who serve the body,
And do not feed the soul.
There are people who are starving,
Who suffer on our streets.
The environment is dying,
A cycle that repeats.
So I climbed the highest building,
Screamed at God above,
I said, 'why won't you do something,
If you're a God of love?'
Then the skies began to darken,
With lightning crashing down,
As I looked, I saw an Angel
With a sword and a crown.
He said: "Mortal, cease thy groaning,
Your charges have been heard.
The Lord thy God assigned me with
Delivering His word."
I listened as he spoke to me,
His voice was so serene.
Then he revealed the reason why
God will not intervene.
He said, the evils in this world,
Result from our free will.
It is mankind who makes the choice,
To steal, deceive, or kill.
"For if God were to intervene,
You wouldn't have a choice.
No freedom then, to make mistakes,
No questions and no voice."
"The only choices you would make,
Would come from God above.
You'd have no say in what you do,
Or even who you love."
"Like fish in an aquarium,
Unable to be free.
For they've never had the option,
To gaze upon the sea."
"Is this what you are longing for?
Shall He grant it for you?
Would you prefer that God decide
The things you say and do?"
I pondered what the Angel said,
Until I understood.
There is a price for our free will,
Knowing evil and good.
It's our responsibility,
Our range of choice is broad.
But if we choose the darker path,
We must stop blaming God!
"He wouldn't chart that course for you,
He grieves each time you lose.
But He allows your destiny,
To be the one you choose."
With that, I watched the storm subside,
The skies began to clear.
The last words that the Angel spoke,
Rang loudly in my ear.
"You don"t fit in nature's blueprint.
Instinct is not your guide.
Your minds can solve the mysteries
That science tries to hide."
"And yet you only trust the things
That you can touch or see.
Demanding proof of everything
Beyond your vanity."
"But God is patient with His flock,
Though He is judged by them.
He loves both those who never stray,
And those who turn from Him."
"So you may listen if you like,
Or disregard my voice.
God's presence can be found within
The fact you have that choice."
This poem won first place for the
June 2021 poetry contest