Godland
“Love is reflected in love” – Mary Baker Eddy
Godland is just around the corner from us,
near Greenfield, Indiana.
And we are all about nine or ten,
fit and tan and lovely.
And we have everything we could ever want,
within reason, sort of.
Most days are sunny, but not too hot.
The skies are a vibrant blue.
And there are food tents, here and there
with striped awnings and chairs,
where everything and everyone within
is very naturally free.
And God Himself moves among us
in Oshkosh B’Gosh.
His shoes are just as scuffed as ours.
He climbs a tree real good.
He doesn’t have His nail-prints anymore.
We’re all done with that.
Most days, He takes us hiking over the hills.
Sometimes we just look at the stars.
Here are all our pets, our old friends,
and plenty of new friends too.
Everybody gets along just fine.
Love is reflected in love.
Steven Shields is now an Atlanta-area poet with a debut collection, Daimonion Sonata (Birch Brook Press, 2005). His work has appeared in various literary journals, including The Penwood Review, The Raintown Review, Candelabrum, Time of Singing and The Lyric. He has been twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Steven was born and raised in Marion, Indiana and worked in Indianapolis radio at WNAP-FM before a career teaching college in Wisconsin.