Saul’s Fairy Tale



Once upon a time,
In the land where east meets west,
Saul said, "There is something
I must get off my chest.

One day when I was walking,
I came upon a frog.
He looked at me in wonderment,
As he peered up from his log.

To him I must seem strange, I thought.
To him I must seem odd.
To him I'm supernatural.
To him I must be God.

Then all at once it came to me,
An idea I thought so fine,
To invent a brand new deity,
Whose face resembles mine.

I spread the word to one and all,
Of an image in the sky,
Gazing down upon the world,
With a stern and watchful eye.

He looked just like a grandpapa,
With a long and silvery beard.
And when he spoke, a lightning bolt,
Out of nowhere had appeared.

Though this story was implausible,
They didn't doubt a thing.
Now they idolize and worship him--
This made-up, cosmic king.

Soon there will be war,
And they'll slaughter, maim, and kill,
All who don't believe in him.
Oh, how much blood must spill?"

The others listened carefully,
But were not at all amused.
Of sacrilege and blasphemy,
Old Saul was now accused.

For these crimes he stood no chance,
And they sentenced him to die.
He cursed his foolish fairy tale.
And for all mankind, he cried.

© 2008 by Eric D. Greene