Jane Yolen
Who was more afraid,
Abraham with the knife
or Isaac at the descent?
Did the tremble in the father’s hand
betray his trust in God,
Or did the boy’s wet diaper
confirm his final fear.
Every day there are children under the knife,
in the cage, blasted through the air.
Where are their gods now?
The goat to save them?
Thoughts and prayers are no salve.
And no salvation.
I hope they are right about their heavens.
The goat is own his own.
You story may have many variants.
To me it all looks like a con job,
that begins with a father,
ends with a knife.
***
Jane Yolen’s 380th published book is about to come out. She sends out poems to journals on a regular basis and has quite a few in sf/fantasy magazines as well. She is a Grand Master of SFPA (Science Fiction/Fantasy Poets of America), as well as a Grandmaster of SFWA and World Fantasy Assn. She has won the Nebula two times, Mythopoeic Award three times, and been nominated (but never won) for the Hugo several times. Six colleges & universities have given her honorary doctorates for her body of work.