
“Have mercy on me, O God,
According to thy steadfast love,
According to thy abundant mercy,
Blot out my transgressions.” (Ps 51:1)
Deep within
I still believe in the
Angry god
Ever ready to pounce
At the slightest provocation
To devour me.
(Or am I the one who pounces)?
Nonetheless, this god is indifferent to my cries,
The Prime Mover
Who has turned away from creation,
Leaving me bereft.
__
Whence cometh my help?
From a transfigured Beloved
Who is the keeper
Of my going out and my coming in,
Forevermore (Ps 121).


Catherine Coates is the author of the books, Longing for Intimacy: Glimmers of Hope, and Like as a Hart: Poems to Quench Longing. She has also published a set of inspirational cards, Musings on Grace.
Her next book will be considerations of Jewish/Christian theological tenets which arose in her after spending time in a Christian cult.
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