Love abandoned

Mark 7:1–8 

a lament

How often have we abandoned

God's commandment to love

in favour of human traditions? 

Instead of love, we have hated

those of other faiths, or none,

condemning them to hell; 

instead of love, we have hated 

noise and movement and not

welcomed the vibrant, curious, young; 

instead of love, we have hated

drama or drums, teachers or leaders

changing what we like best;

instead of love, we have hated

those of different sexualities, or genders,

dismissing their right to marry; 

instead of love, we have hated

those not pinkish white for not

being pinkish white like 'us';

instead of love, we have hated

political adversaries, vilified,

and criticised, not worked together for good; 

instead of love, we have hated

our embodied selves as if God 

never looked, and saw, and said, 'good.' 

How often have we abandoned

God's command to love

in favour of human traditions

we suffocate without the breath of Love?