Poem: "The Gods of Sheep and Machines"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem came out of the August 7, 2012 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by a prompt from aldersprig and sponsored by rix_scaedu.  Usually the idea of a machine god is portrayed in a negative light ... but there are some things that machines do quite well.  You can read more about the indriso form online.

The Gods of Sheep and Machines
-- an indriso

The King of

Comments

[rix_scaedu]

:)

I never quite understand a friend I play D&D with who thinks the priests would tell the gods what to do. Who's setting the rules after all?

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Not only do the gods make the rules, they also supply the power -- that's the key different between priests and wizards. Hence the vital importance of making sure that priest and deity want the same things, in a magical setting.

Though it carries over here too. The Christians have an appallingly low percentage of clergy who can actually do the magic they're supposed to be doing. Most of them have no charge at all. I suspect some of them just don't think of it as anything more than a pretty story, but I'll bet they lose another big chunk to people who believe it but are pulling in the wrong direction so it doesn't work for them. The ones who can really do it, they tend to stand out. A few of them are capable of raising quite a lot of power.

Re: Yes...

[rix_scaedu]

I think we lose something when social work, good works and other things take over completely from mystery. It's not that those things aren't important but...

Re: Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I think it's important to have both secular and spiritual options for such things. Some people do better with one, some with the other. Mystery dwells at the bottom of all things, though; it's just a matter of going far enough to find it.