Idol Chatter – A poem for parsha Ki Tisa (Aliyah 2)

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Come on! Make us gods that will go before us, because this man Moses, who brought us up from the land of Egypt we don't know what has become of him.

You should never be late to your own party.
They’ll get restless and declare someone else
the honoree.

When they start to pull off their jewelry
(even the men wore earrings back then)
and melt it down, they will not be

making an effigy of You. We’ve been
making Gods out of things since things existed.
Television, movie screen, celebrity,

statue in the harbor, elected official, money,
video game, designer purse, sex, the moon –
any excuse to worship outside religion.

To find an easy thing to tell us what to do.
Thousands of years ago the technology was
as good as a golden calf.

Today we have TMZ to tell us who is holy
and a virus is taking us all down like
idol builders at the end of righteous swords.

I’m going to set up my tent on the outside
of the city. Prostrate myself to the internet.
Wait for all this to pass.

These poems are offered free for your enjoyment. If you use them as part of an event, meeting, educational or liturgical setting, please consider tipping the author.

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