GODLINESS

	By Grish Davtian

	I am waiting
	For the heavenly inspiration
	To create this poem,
	To glorify this life,
	To be filled, impregnated,
	To have my thoughts realized,
	Like the unavoidable sunrises
	Which sculpt the light
	With rays
	Like my image...

	I am only a human creature
	With rationality, conscience,
	And infinite satiety...

	I remember
	That in the beginning was the word...

	I know from that
	That intellect
	Preceded creation...

	Therefore, the universe is not
	The result of contingency,
	Or a big banggg...
	But it is a cognitive creation,
	A wise ingeniousness,
	The way a poem should be...

	I am striving for the heavenly inspiration
	To create this poem,
	To live this life
	For the praise of God...

	...But my mind is hesitant
	With different directions...

	I am lost...

	Aspiring for godliness
	I have lost
	My orientation...

	And it is not by contingency...

	...Because Moses came and told me
	To worship God.
	I do not remember now
	Who did what;
	Yet it happened
	That I began worshiping Moses...
	And I started discriminating
	Between others and myself,
	Whether they are circumcised or not?
	What kind of slaughtered meat do they eat?
	On which day do they get tired,
	And take rest?
	I began putting signs on the doors
	For God to notice...

	Such discriminations...

	Then Jesus came and told me
	To worship God.
	I do not remember now
	Who did what
	Yet it happened
	That I began worshiping Jesus...

	Jesus has said
	To love one another...
	But obviously I cannot love all;
	I do not love the criminals,
	I do not love the Turks
	Who committed
	Genocide of the Armenians...
	So I love some people
	And I do not love some others,
	I do not even know the majority...

	This has become a nest of discriminations...

	Then Mohammed came and told me
	To worship God.
	I do not remember now
	Who did what;
	Yet it happened
	That I began worshiping Mohammed...
	And I started discriminating
	Between others and myself,
	As to which direction do they face praying?
	And if they are not of my faith
	Then they are foul,
	So it is acceptable for God
	That I may shed the blood of the foul...

	Such discriminations...

	Others also came and told me
	To worship God;
	I do not remember,
	My memory is blurred...

	I am much confused...

	Moses established Ten Commandments...
	After experiences I discovered
	The unwritten eleventh commandment,
	That: in case of breaking the commandment
	I should do it in such a way
	So that others would not know...
	But how can it be?
	Is it not that God is all-knowing?

	Jesus ordered
	To have hope, love and faith...
	After experiences I find out
	That no matter how much I possess them,
	Nevertheless,
	Hope does not materialize,
	Love is not reciprocated,
	Faith comes to doubts...
	Really, could they not be practically planned in such
	a way
	To work with the accuracy of a computer?

	Mohammed ordered
	That if my lying be in the interest of God
	Then it is acceptable...
	But how can it be?
	Since lying is bad
	How can it be in the interest of God?

	I am wholly confused...
	Because whoever came said something different...

	If only all had said the same thing...
	Is not everyone's message about godliness?

	Truly I am a worshiper of God,
	But I am confused
	By different messages...

	Rising from the experience
	Of my confusions and delusions
	I beg:

	"Lord God,
	Do not send anyone anymore;
	At this supreme time
	Let your own grace come in person
	And put an end to my delusions,
	So I can create this poem,
	This life,
	This God-granted miracle...

	Copyright © 2002 Grish Davtian


--
Grish Davtian was born in Nor Jugha, Esfahan, Iran. His work includes
poetry and literary criticism written in Armenian, and, more recently,
poetry written in English. He has worked as the founding editor for
the Aregak monthly journal, in 1964-5 in London, and editor of the
literary pages of Alik Daily newspaper, in 1980-1985 in Tehran. As a
member of the Armenian Writer's Society in Iran, he has served as
the vice president and president of this organization for several
years. He has three books of poems published in Armenian. Now living
in Glendale, CA, USA, Davtian has been in charge of the literary pages
of the Asparez Daily newspaper in 1997-2001. He has initiated the
Literary Asparez monthly meetings, sponsored by the Glendale Public
Library. He runs a one hour weekly literary program, called Literary
Ether, on Horizon Armenian TV. The book of his English poems "The
Ameriacan Pulse" has recently been published by Publish America LLLP,
USA. He is also the editor of The Literary Groong (TLG) webpage on the
Groong Armenian News Network website.