When the white men came
Left their priest here with his tales of Jesus and original sin
we of course recognised the Garden of Eden
For is not the place we live in the very same
If we want to talk to God we go to the waterfall
We know our God is everywhere
In plants, and beasts, and soil – the rain that feeds the river
But it is here that we do truly hear her call
God waters the grass we bend to make our huts
Where even now the priest leads evening prayers
But I prefer our God’s song –I do not care
For wearing clothes, or to hear his stories -of which he has lots
Just like the snake, the priest would give us knowledge
Of our nakedness, our nature as sinners
But I know we still live in the garden, where we can pluck dinner
From the very trees, or, grateful, take in the life of brother deer
So whilst my kin listen to the priest’s lies
I slip away to the never-ceasing waterfall
Whose plashy tones are our God’s call
Endlessly flowing ‘neath Her created skies…
© Andrew Wilson, 2026
Over at dVerse Poets Pub, Melissa Lemay in Poetics, invites us to respond to the paintings of Henri Rousseau. Melissa was in part, inspired by a poetic exchange between myself and Merril about Rousseau on her site Collaborature which you can read here.
This is a thought provoking poem. God is indeed everywhere the institution of church has truly been diluted. It may be best to commune at the waterfall and fill you cup.
if we want to talk to God we go to the waterfall
We know our God is everywhere
In plants, and beasts, and soil – the rain that feeds the river
But it is here that we do truly hear her call
Thanks, Truedessa, I realise that this might upset some people but after all, the Protestant revolution was about the connection beteeen God and the individual being more direct and not needing intermediaries…
“If we want to talk to God we go to the waterfall
We know our God is everywhere
In plants, and beasts, and soil – the rain that feeds the river”
I like these lines especially.
Thanks, Melissa…
i always love to hear the voices of those who see God through their own eyes and walk away from the black robes with their cross dangling in the bright sun and speaking a tongue that has little to do with love …. me i’m a Jesus freak from way back when who holds onto his love and care and for all those who seek him…
Religiosity runs through the human race and God has many faces – thanks for commenting Miss Pie…
What better place than a waterefall!
I like animism and its easy to see how certain things invite it…
I love the pantheistic view offered by the voice, much more at one with all of life and not boxed in. So many lies told by priests and others, the whole colonial juggernaut justified by religion. Love it.