(Raise Your Voice) The Pentacle and Cross (a poem)

Added to 'Raise Your Voice' collection May 25th, 2011
The Pentacle and Cross

Written March 9th, 2011

I wear a pentacle

On my breast

Dangling from a thin silver chain

You bear a cross

Upon your chest

So very different,

Yet so very much the same

In their causes

For peace,

               Kindness,

                              Empathy,

                                            and hope

Your beliefs I do not inquire

Outside of friendly chat

You question me

Appearing curious and open

But when my response is not what you wanted it to be

You spring like a cat

I listened to you

Curteous and respectful

You have a natural right to an opinion

And there's nothing wrong with that

So why do you deny me of mine,

When all I ever asked for

Was the same courtesy back

You shake a finger at me

Tell me I am blasphemous

That I am a bastard

That in hell I'll come to be

Just because I see another God

Because I'm not the American standard

I bet you think you're doing the right thing

Scolding me in this way

That it is honorable to try and bring

My beliefs to a sway

And I also forsee you at church

Upon this next Sunday

Thinking you have no sins to repent

And as your preacher says

Only He shall judge

You will nod and agree

Appearing to have forgotten

How harshly you judged me

You call me a witch

Evil doer

Satan's little bitch

Black magic manipulator

Voodoo girl

Famine and disease simulator

Dark and twisted to the core

But if you'd give tolerance a whirl

You'd see this so called blasphemy

Is somthing more

Your deity is so forgiving and kind

If you a look a little closer

You might be surprised to find

So is mine

She is life

The breath in your lungs

The breeze in your hair

The warmth of the sun

Raindrops falling everywhere

The new growth in the spring

The earth on which we stand

The face of the moon so fair

The tools I use

Candles I light

Circles I draw

Words I whisper

So late at night

Are not to summon demons

And cast curses I see fitting

Not to inflict pain

And do the Devil's bidding

I work only for love and good

Safety and comfort

For me and for others

Keeping in mind the threefold rule

Whatever I give out

Will be brought back unto me

Understand; I acknowledge your God

His soul, his presence

If so many believe, He must be real

But I never connected to him, his essence

Nature and the Goddess had more appeal

Understand why I did not join your masses

You took the bible and its pure morals

Twisted it into hate and rejection

Degrading everyone on the outside

To nothing more than a sick infection

You say you enforce His will

But you are an intolerant hypocrit

You make your Father, so just and kind

Into an angry brutal dictator

Ruling from the sky

I am what I am

I love me for me

You can attack me with fists

Attack me verbally

Sabotage my life

Inflict me with every strife

But no matter what you do

You can't take away

The beliefs and morals I work so hard

To uphold every day

If you want to judge, maim, and persecute

There are still many nations

Where you can go

And take action to rebute

But so long as we stand

On this free and tolerant land

On me you cannot lay a hand

You will fight

Tooth and nail

to preserve your sunday right

Don't you ever forget

To me this right will also apply

You would fight, so would I

I wear a pentacle

On my breast

Dangling from a thin silver chain

You bear a cross

Upon your chest

So very different,

Yet so very much the same