An atheist’s creed

Poem by Jonathan Wooding

by Jonathan Wooding 11th November 2022

Wisdom (and folly) through waiting,
fearlessly passive1; naked flame’s humility;
self-transformation in apostrophic mode, HaShem2;
divine non-entity jealous of all humanity;
powerless Nazarene’s failure breeding courage;
(spontaneous-creative fullness of being3);
positive incapability; abiding holiness of place;
the inclusion of time in timelessness, (and at
the point of death); reality’s presence
in aggrieved justice, in what vanishes
into memorial’s monument; the unquiet heart,
its gracious disappointment; how fresh, HaShem,
how sweet and clean are thy returns4;
the miracle of friendship, and yes, healing
healing, always beginning, yes

1. Theodor Adorno (1903-1969)
2. From Hebrew, literally ‘The Name’
3. DH Lawrence (1885-1930)
4. George Herbert (1593-1633)