Can You Believe? A poem about gods

Can you believe that Earth was heaved out of a cosmic sea
Or that it poked out of a broken egg so we could be?
Or do you trust that Brahman must sustain the three in one
That Brahma makes and Shiva breaks and Vishnu gets things done?

Can it be true Chinese Pan Gu split up the earth and sky
And all that is grew out of his lush body when he died?
Or Marduk lined up all mankind to fill the Babel tower
And murdered Ishtar got her wish to rise again to power?

Can you agree the Cherokee were guided by a bear
And history’s great mystery the spirits in the air?
Or did the Incas rightly think that Viracocha would
Return from fleeing cross the sea and drown all in a flood?

Can you have faith Rome’s Saturn ate his babies when newborn
In case they did not grace their dad with love instead of scorn?
Or else believe Norse Odin grieved when he gouged out his eye
To make a pitch for wisdom which the wise might think unwise?

Can you be swayed that Yahweh made us out of ribs and mud
Then felt he must drown most of us in a ferocious flood?
Or Allah sent the perfect gent Mohammad on a course
Through the seven skies to heaven on a flying horse?

Can you assume that ancient humans did not understand
How all the grace of life and space could simply be unplanned?
And so they made up gods and prayed and some spread faith with force
But all their gods were pretty odd—apart from yours of course.

Can You Believe? A poem about gods

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