23 Comments
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Jenine Baines's avatar

I was fascinated by this. I am sort of everything. Catholic. Buddhist. Hindu. The Tao. I study them all, believe all are One. Am also on my third year of studying A Course in Miracles - lifechanging.

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Edward Swafford's avatar

I’m a big believer in spirituality, Jenine.

Manmade religions don’t make much sense in this modern world.

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Devo/Murphy Carpenter's avatar

Rapture

Marched out in matching outfits.

The risers are covered in taupe carpet.

The lights were so bright.

The church filled.

The woman in charge is cheery.

We were to sing the praises of Jesus in our 7-year-old voices.

My stomach turned and I felt the bile creep up my throat.

Running to the exit I almost made it to the hall before exploding on the matting.

Fear was my constant companion growing up.

A popular song in my church was “You’ve been left behind”

The rapture to me was all about losing everyone I loved

Returning home from school to an empty house the cold would shoot up my spine as I grasp the repercussions.

On constant alert for the homecoming.

I knew I was not good enough to rise to heaven with my family.

In my 8-year-old mind, I could not fathom how I would survive alone.

When I was 10 I sang a solo “Jesus how sweet his name”

I was petrified but still wanting to join my beloved mother in the clouds.

So I did it and for some reason I thought I should smile.

Ghastly ear-to-ear, maniacal pseudo happiness reveled.

Afterwards my mother told me I looked ridiculous.

That was the day I stopped trying to please a master I could not see.

I stopped being scared of abandonment.

I decided if I could not be good enough for god,

I could be bad enough for myself.

I went through the motions without the intimidation.

I would live on my terms and if that is not good enough for Jesus, it was ok.

I could survive on my own.

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Black Coffee Poetry's avatar

Thank you, did you mean for this to go into our group post?

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Devo/Murphy Carpenter's avatar

nah just felt like it belonged here

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Ral Joseph's avatar

We are not religion but religion is us... Many have tried to comprehend but it's original mystery still leads us either within its understanding or far from it Edward 💯

Perfect body of work here.

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Edward Swafford's avatar

Bless you, Ral of the cloth 🙏🙏🙏🙏🥹🥹🥹

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Lee Byrd Mystic's avatar

This is quite beautiful and pretty intense

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Edward Swafford's avatar

Thank you, dear Lee ✨✨✨

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Joe Nichols's avatar

This thrums with defiance, a raw and unflinching dance. Reverence and rebellion. Good stuff!

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Edward Swafford's avatar

Quite the compliment coming from you, thanking ya! 🥹🥹🌪🌪

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Joe Nichols's avatar

I'm a rookie in this regard, Edward. A novice.

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Edward Swafford's avatar

Nonsense!

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Debdutta Pal's avatar

Oh, she's dancing alright, daring us to look away.

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Black Coffee Poetry's avatar

Dare 2 stare, sweetness.

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H. R. Sinclair's avatar

“At the apocalypse altar, my baptism

a rebirth of recycled canons read aloud by

heretical hypocrites”

OOOOoooo this is fire 🔥

As always, Edward, you perform a poetic dance with such elegance and panache.

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H. R. Sinclair's avatar

Preach it sistah! 🙏👼

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Black Coffee Poetry's avatar

Haaaaaaaa

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Samantha Lazar's avatar

Keep it coming.

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Edward Swafford's avatar

Thank you!

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Existential World's avatar

You said it

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Edward Swafford's avatar

I say too much ⚡️⚡️🥰

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Existential World's avatar

Too much is where the magic happens

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