THE SHINE JOURNAL

Playing God

by

Sarah Ann Watts

Today the little one

came home from school

and said that he was playing God

in the school play.

I asked him was he sure

he’d got that right?

It seemed a very big role

for one so small to play.

He looked at me,

twin imps of mischief

kindling in his eyes

and smiled his enigmatic

cherub smile.

Later I thought

It wasn’t altogether strange.

It was a role that he was

born to play.

One he perfected

from the moment of his birth

when we drew near to worship

at his crib.

And I remembered

in the cheerful pagan days

the child Eros

loosing his barbed arrows

stealing hearts like ours

before the gods fell out among themselves

leaving this world, disgruntled

and the one who stayed

grew old and grey alone.

He said

There is no other god but me

And so it was

Forever.

Then I thought

Perhaps there was some truth

to his childish misconception after all.

Knowing that he held

our heaven and hell

between his hands.