These churches of the inside out
Convinced of their supremacy
And entrenched beliefs
Profess their love but celebrate their hate
Of others and of differences
Using fear and threats of retribution
Projecting narrow views on limitless creation
Chorusing anger at the unconvinced
For no good reason but to cover up their doubts
With screams and fist pumps of defiant mobs
Who give up reason for the comfort of a cause
These churches of the inside out
Hide behind myths, legends and holy books
Which have more holes than wholesome thoughts
Transforming love to hate
Raising intolerance to a virtue
Suppressing dissension and philosophical exploration
With the riot police of the religious wrong standing firm
Against freedom and choice
Trying to perform their own miracle of transformation
By calling evil good and good a sin
Proselytizing through obfuscation and misdirection
These churches of the inside out
Upside down in their revisionism
Making sacraments of negativity and blind zeal
Disregarding any other points of view
Of infinity’s creation
Most of which is quite content to be unchurched
Connected at the source to divinity within
David Trudel © 2013
createdavidt 
Gratitude
Today I declare gratitude
Thankfulness for life
For being here in this place of privilege
For what limited freedom I enjoy
I am grateful I can choose my own spirituality
My beliefs are my own and not imposed
By frowning arbiters of mythological excess
I am grateful to the women that have spurned me
Leaving me space for universal enjoyment
Gifting me the time I would have spent
On worrying about your affection and your desires
I am grateful for the beauty of nature
That unfolds around us daily
I revel in the wonders of this web of life
Smiling as I uncover each unread volume of the divine library
I thank everyone who has ever smiled at a stranger
Or given freely from a threadbare pocket
This is such a wondrous time to be alive
When thoughts and dreams are interchanged
Across the world at lightning speed
Where knowledge grows organically
Even in the face of repression
I am grateful for the resilience of the oppressed
Who are strong enough to heal publicly
Becoming leaders for the lost
I am thankful for irrepressible music
Pervasively bathing us in harmonic resonance
I thank the artists who reinterpret truth
With inspiration and dedication
I raise my hands in praise of caregivers
Who reach out with compassion and generosity
I am grateful for all the love that has come my way
And for those I have been honoured to love
I give thanks
To all the forces that conspire to unlonely the affliction of despair
I am grateful
Just to be here
Understanding that now
Is a reflection of forever
And for that I am eternally happy in my gratitude
David Trudel © 2013
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