Questions

A poem published in the spring/summer 2000 issue of Pegasus (Kentucky State Poetry Society).

Questions

It's a sleepy class in philosophy,
At noon, and everyone is hungry, too,
So, heads up, I toss a question.

Does God make everything happen?

Yes, because he's God.

But what about the bad things?

No, not the bad things.

I believe everything has a purpose.

That doesn't mean he causes everything?

Just because he knows what will happen doesn't mean
He causes things to happen.

Then why does he allow things to happen?

Maybe it's for our education
Or for some mysterious purpose.

If a child dies, for instance, God must have a reason.

My God wouldn't let a child die intentionally.

What do you mean, your God?

God calls us to him when it's our time.

But I don't want to sit next to the guy on the plane
Whose time has come...

Weeks later, at 31,000 feet, people sit in various states
Of repose.

The woman across the aisle sleeps snoring.
The man behind her reads a magazine. Another woman,
My wife, plays Go Fish with our young daughter.

Here come the attendants with drinks.
But the pilot announces turbulence over El Paso.
It seems not the time to toss the question again.