Atheistic Sonnet XIV

Batter My Heart

Batter my heart, too-few-person'd Reason ; for you

As yet but knock ; breathe, shine, and seek to mend ;

That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend

Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new.

I, like an usurp'd town, to another due,

Labour to admit you, but O, to no end.

Curiosity, your viceroy in me, me should embolden,

But is blackmailed, and proves sedated or afraid.

Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,

But was birthed captive unto your enemy ;

Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again,

Take me to you, emancipate me, for my mind,

Except you enthrall it, never shall be free,

Nor I, ever chaste, except you ravish me.

- My thank you note to Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, for whipping the crutches of religion out from under me, slapping me on the forehead and proclaiming "Hallelujah, he can walk!". Their passion was what urged my scientific curiosity to finally address the issue of my 'crutches of religion' that I had for years ignored, and effectively assumed they were not necessary, but never quite had the courage to try walk without them. To drag a metaphor out (!), they helped me realise that there was no need to believe that I needed the crutch, or should prolong addressing the contemplation of their disposal 'just in case', when I knew from evidence that my legs worked fine without them.... and now I'm running marathons!

This is my "adaptation" of John Donne's sonnet "Batter My Heart", written in the 1600's.

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