Augustine

A man of vision
No peer to test his fear
His truth was not new
Inspired by God & true .

A pagan confused
Converted to Christian faith
With words to save our soul
Told us we are One.

In Rome the Christians died
Abominations; sport to please the fed
They died for the spark to flame
Augustus called its name

The Romans thought they'd last
So glorious in the past
Filled with ego dreams
Reduced by all their schemes.

They lost their crown of gold
Went too far and found
That they’d run aground
Monism, the reason found.

He answered their attacks
By writing words that gave
The best of Christian prose
The means to increase the fold.

He blamed the polytheists
Scored a Christian coup
He advanced the cause of Christ
They hungered for his view.

Augustine was supreme
He made theology sing
Said that Rome was wrong
That unity was the song.

Barbarians at the gate
Plunder, pillage & rape
A world for them to make
A thirst for them to slake.

This frantic twist of fate
Gave perfect vent to integrate
The truth of all is One
With the beliefs of the conquering Hun.

Success was his to have
But he let it slip away
He feared the barbarian horde
& changed the truth’s accord.

They wanted God to be
Apart from you and me
They wanted God to be
A servant at their knee.

Augustine obliged:
He changed the truth of One
Made it two instead
Duality realized!

Duality returned – this status quo still burns
Officially revised, intellectually circumcised
We plunged from being free
To splitting up a tree.

It’s a crying shame
The fuel has fed to fire
Augustine, the Conspirator’s pawn
His face has many names.

He interpreted his own lines
To change what was defined
Used his powers and fame
To politic Christ’s name.

Psychology was his bent
A genius heaven sent
He chose to win the prize
By building a compromise.

In spite of all he knew
In spite of sacred view
He was afraid to die
All his truth a lie.

He became the central swing
Christ enslaved to push this thing
Power to control by force of Rome
Orderly chaos, gold and stone.

He gave away Christ’s gift
He made a Christian rift
Became an ego-seer
And damned us to our fear.
           OnePositive