{"id":3030,"date":"2017-01-16T15:50:35","date_gmt":"2017-01-16T15:50:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/?p=3030"},"modified":"2017-08-01T21:45:41","modified_gmt":"2017-08-01T21:45:41","slug":"the-god-machine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/2017\/01\/16\/the-god-machine\/","title":{"rendered":"The God Machine"},"content":{"rendered":"
    \n
  1. I came across a snack machine, or so I thought it was.<\/li>\n
  2. As I got close, I found instead, something that made me pause.<\/li>\n
  3. There were no snacks inside, I saw, in\u00a0each cramped numbered slot.<\/li>\n
  4. Rather, shockingly I\u2019d say, were several different gods.<\/li>\n
  5. Some were white, and some were black, and some were big or small,<\/li>\n
  6. Some were fat, and some were thin, and some were short or tall.<\/li>\n
  7. And while there was variety, as much as gods do go,<\/li>\n
  8. I noticed that the same white god was in the top two rows.<\/li>\n
  9. I guess it was most popular, its button worn near through,<\/li>\n
  10. And though it took up several slots, all were bare but two.<\/li>\n
  11. I took a seat upon a bench beneath an oak nearby<\/li>\n
  12. So I could see what would transpire when one that god did buy.<\/li>\n
  13. It wasn\u2019t long before someone, who hungered for a god,<\/li>\n
  14. Did come\u00a0upon the god machine and stood there kind of awed.<\/li>\n
  15. He stood a bit, scratched his chin, and cocked his head in thought,<\/li>\n
  16. Then sure of choice, put\u00a0in a dime, and pressed the worn out spot.<\/li>\n
  17. And out it came, the favoured one, like many had before;<\/li>\n
  18. It glistened now in the bright light and waited in the drawer.<\/li>\n
  19. He held it close, examined it, then kissed it once for luck,<\/li>\n
  20. Then said a prayer his parents said when he was young and such.<\/li>\n
  21. It came to life, that idol cheap, and I could hear it speak<\/li>\n
  22. It shocked me, what I heard it say; it made me want to shriek.<\/li>\n
  23. \u201cHello, dear sir. I am your god. My precepts you\u2019ll adore.<\/li>\n
  24. I don\u2019t want much. In fact, I\u2019d say, there\u2019s little new in store.<\/li>\n
  25. I\u2019ll teach you want you want to hear and won\u2019t demand too much.<\/li>\n
  26. I am smooth\u00a0and comfortable and pleasant to the touch.<\/li>\n
  27. I will never rock your boat; in fact, I hardly row.<\/li>\n
  28. I\u2019ll just lie back, in warming sun, and feel the cool breeze blow.\u201d<\/li>\n
  29. And then this god stretched forth its hand and patted on the head<\/li>\n
  30. The man who purchased him just now and made his cheeks turn read.<\/li>\n
  31. He giggled at the touch of the trinket god so bold.<\/li>\n
  32. And skipped away, along the path, to pick some marigolds.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I came across a snack machine, or so I thought it was. As I got close, I found instead, something that made me pause. There were no snacks inside, I saw, in\u00a0each cramped numbered slot. Rather, shockingly I\u2019d say, were several different gods. Some were white, and some were black, and some were big or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3031,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faith-crisis-poetry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/08\/japan-682010_1920.jpg?fit=1574%2C1181&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4NkW7-MS","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3085,"url":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/2011\/10\/09\/the-wise-man\/","url_meta":{"origin":3030,"position":0},"title":"The Wise Man","author":"Kim Siever","date":"9 October 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"I threw away my fish one day, And walked behind a man. His steps were clear and deep and sure Upon the burning sand. He walked right by, spoke scant a word, But drew me still somehow. I followed close behind the man As wonder would allow. It wasn\u2019t long\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poetry"","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/category\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2941,"url":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/2011\/10\/09\/do-it-unto-the-least-of-these\/","url_meta":{"origin":3030,"position":1},"title":"Do It Unto the Least of These","author":"Kim Siever","date":"9 October 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"He clasped the coal, still glowing red, from off his wooden floor And placed it back within the flame. A knock was at his door. T\u2019was dark outside and very late, and the snow fell thick and hard. He knew not of a single soul who would trek across his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poetry"","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/category\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2938,"url":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/2017\/07\/11\/choosing\/","url_meta":{"origin":3030,"position":2},"title":"Choosing","author":"Kim Siever","date":"11 July 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The blood of God I seal inside a box with lock and key. Too, in that box, a bite of flesh I'm hoarding just for me. I treasure them with heart and mind, more than my flesh and blood. And when I choose between the two, I choose with echoed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poetry"","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/category\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/08\/img_4221.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/08\/img_4221.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/08\/img_4221.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/08\/img_4221.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/08\/img_4221.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2929,"url":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/2011\/10\/09\/a-mountain-journey\/","url_meta":{"origin":3030,"position":3},"title":"A Mountain Journey","author":"Kim Siever","date":"9 October 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"A metal box encased by forest Held treasure deep inside. Dark as night and cold as steel Yet something did abide. Something big, something warm, And round just like the moon. Something quiet, something known, And like an angel\u2019s tune. And then it\u2019s opened amid the cries And darkness flees\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poetry"","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/category\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3018,"url":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/2016\/11\/17\/snagging-rainbows\/","url_meta":{"origin":3030,"position":4},"title":"Snagging Rainbows","author":"Kim Siever","date":"17 November 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Hiding in plain\u00a0sunlight while sifting through the sky, Looking for the rainbows as heaven has a cry. Snagging them with morals, ignoring all the pain; Pushing them through prisms to make them white again. There\u2019s no coloured sunshine; we\u2019re all offspring of God. 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And flung upon my back a bag of ashen\u00a0bones; The closer that I get, the louder grow their moans. 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