Humanist Voices in Verse

This week we are featuring poems by Daniel Thomas Moran and Harold Saferstein.

Daniel Thomas Moran served as Poet Laureate of Suffolk County, New York from 2005 to 2007. His work has appeared in The New York Times, National Forum, and the Poetry Salzburg Review. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Boston University’s School of Dental Medicine. His website is www.danielthomasmoran.net.

Harold Saferstein received his M.D. from the University of Illinois and completed his dermatology training at Temple University. He lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his wife, Doreen, and is an active member of the Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix.

If you’d like to contribute original poetry to Humanist Voices in Verse, write to hnn@americanhumanist.org with “Poetry” in the subject line. Please send no more than three poems for consideration per week.

Intelligent Design

For Christopher Hitchens

 

I cannot give

much credence

to divine

intervention,

Even at the 

risk of  my

defying

a redemption.

But I have faith

that it would

be wholly

mistakable,

To endorse any

god who’d make

a bone that

was breakable.

-Daniel Thomas Moran

 

Missionary Impossible

A missionary that I once knew
Had much proselytizing work to do.

He travelled to Uganda, Mali and Chad,
And told the natives they were awfully bad.

“You are sinners all” he ranted and raved,
Then he told them how they could be saved.

“You should accept Christ,” the man advised,
“And all of you must be baptized.”

“When you do this, the lord will surely be pleased
Though your families are starving and severely diseased.

True, you’re miserable now, but hear me well,
You’ll be going to heaven instead of to hell.”

But his religion made some of the natives suspicious.
So they cooked the missionary and he was delicious.

-Harold Saferstein