In Search of The Garden

I admire you your faith…

when all falls to hell around you,

you smile and you pray

as if all will go away.

I once believed, as you do,

that our petitions are heard

that all good comes to those who believe.

But if that is true, then why do the faithful suffer

with pain more than they can bear

while their prayers remain unanswered?

 They say ‘silence’ is an answer, too

Is this a fact, a convenient reply, or a lie of omission?

We whisper our pleas, broker our deals

and when they fail, we blame ourselves

   because God tests the unfaithful.

 Perhaps we just don’t trust enough

  —our failure ever since the Garden.

I have struggled with these questions all my life,

 the answer still remains elusive.

© Ginny Brannan 2020

…and we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden.

    —Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young