Vestiges
Photo by Johan Mouchet on Unsplash
Arabic still spoken in Andalusian villages after 400 years of the inquisition,
Muslim houses in Bosnian villages,
with crosses on display, despite the threat of apostasy.
"And slay them wherever ye find them."
Morning fresh as one –
the Buddha knew –
the flowers of the valley
the grasses of the plain
shine with the unbidden light of heaven,
nothing remains the same.
The future aligned with heavenly ways,
a words to the wise
look at their graves.
And on inauspicious days,
with no quarter offered, nor taken:
Riot, lobby, accuse, condemn,
the faithful seek the blood of men.
Shake off these shades of numerology
live with angels
die as men.....
John Marks
Thu 9th Jul 2020 00:22
Hi Nicola. Thank you for liking the poem. Apostasy is a word not often used these days, the formal definition follows. It is most often used now to describe the view held by some that anybody who leaves a particular religion is worthy of death.
Apostasy (/əˈpɒstəsi/; Greek: ἀποστασία ápostasía, "a defection or revolt") is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that is contrary to one's previous religious beliefs.