My contribution to Crommunist’s wonderful series, “Because I am an atheist”.
Because I am an atheist
The world is mine to fix.
No god prevents the plunderers,
The hypocrites, the dicks.
No god rewards the good we do
Or punishes the bad;
No afterlife awaits us,
Just the single life we’ve had.
Because I am an atheist
It’s up to me to change.
The world is what we make it,
Not some god’s to rearrange—
To recognize a problem, means
To seek solutions, too;
Because I am an atheist
I’m watching out for you.
Because I am an atheist
I cannot simply pray.
I cannot wish a problem gone
And make it go away.
God’s promise of protection
Is just one of many lies;
Because I am an atheist
I cannot close my eyes.
Enough verse. Because I am an atheist, I teach a course aimed at applying the best tools of my science toward making the world a better place. Because I am an atheist, I donate blood instead of praying for sick friends or relatives. Because I am an atheist (and an “out” atheist), I try to live as a counterexample to the “evil atheist” stereotype, and serve as a resource for others who are leaving a faith community and unsure of what might lie ahead.
That’s what I do in meatspace. Online, I write silly verses. Because I am an atheist, they tend to be from a different perspective than, say, Hallmark.
Because I am an atheist
this world is all my heaven
I plan to do my best to turn
the dial up to eleven.
Rändömfäctör, feel free to add a random honorary umlaut or two to your name as a reward for the Spinal Tap reference…well done.
On that last point, er Hallmark, you don’t by any chance have any
“thank-you doctor for your skills and services” type poems hidden away in your ink bladder do you? Living in the Deep South, and getting older, I would like a poetic way to thank the docs and leave the dog out of it.
Great idea, Cazfans–I have some old stuff that talks *about* the concept, but no appropriate cards yet, but I’ll have to do something soon!
Wow! Cuttlefish cards. I have often thought greeting cards were a great racket. 25 cents in materials (maybe) and sell for two or three bucks? I wonder if there is a market out there. Could they be downloaded, or is that niche full?
I have made verses available for Valentine’s day and the end-of-year holidays, but I can never get things together in time to have anything printed up in time to sell when people are actually buying!
I’d love to see a Cuttlefish Christmas card…>;-}
wouldn’t that be a Squidmas card?
Well, some of us call it cephalopodmas…
http://freethoughtblogs.com/cuttlefish/2007/12/15/it-was-cephalopodmas/
http://freethoughtblogs.com/cuttlefish/2008/11/30/atheist-holiday-cards-part-one/
Because I am an atheist, I read and love The Digital Cuttlefish blog but most especially the verse.
And in truth, some of your poems are more sentimental than Hallmark’s generic mush.