Blasphemy

The caustic tongues of the evangelists,
Across all creeds and faiths,
Seem as brittle as an old bone.

For they promise heaven and they spew forth threats of hell
While neglecting the words of that man who walked in Galilee

‘let him who is without sin, cast the first stone’

the caustic tongues of the evangelists…

across all religions
new-age and the ones of old
baffle me even as I hear
a single simplistic sermon

for they really do, view us all
as blind imbeciles
scurrying around like faithless vermin

the caustic tongues of the evangelists…

wag on and dazzle us with visions of an eternal paradise
while here and now
their hypocrisy festers
within their earnest
well-meaning eyes…

‘…dil mein hai khwaaish-e-hoor-o-jannat
aur zaahir mein shauk-e-ibaadat
bas hamen sheikh-ji aap jaise
allah-waalon se allah bachaaye…’

‘…in your heart you desire the maidens of heaven
yet in the now you practice the rituals of piety
o’ sheikh, may allah protect me
from the people of allah like yourself…’

is my tongue as caustic as the tongues I write about?
if so, then glad am I
for they shouldn’t be the only ones
who preach and rant and continually shout

from their pulpits ever so high in the sky
from their hubris of comfort in possessing the ‘truth’

from their ‘knowing’ that heaven or hell
awaits both the strong as well as the meek

while oblivious to the reeking foul smell
that encourages prejudice and hate
and visions not of peace
but of endless chants and prayers

which they, in their opium haze
rattle on and on
as they never seem to cease to speak

and though I’m sure that all this bile that I have spewed
will threaten
hurt
and offend

friend and
unfriend and
acquaintance alike

but…

take pity on me instead
for it’ll surely be I
who’ll burn eternally
impaled by a benevolent god
on a slightly warmer than normal day in hell
on a crude wooden spike.

About Afzal Moolla

Afzal Moolla was born in Delhi, India while his parents were in exile, working as anti-Apartheid activists for the African National Congress.  Afzal subsequently travelled wherever his parent's work took them. He still feels that he hasn't stopped travelling.  Afzal currently works and lives in Johannesburg, South Africa and shares his literary musings with his most strident critic - his 12 year old cat.

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