The Civil War - Anne Sexton

[mysneaker.livejournal.com]

I am torn in two
but I will conquer myself.
I will dig up the pride.
I will take the scissors
and cut out the beggar.
I will take the crowbar
and pry out the broken
pieces of God in me.
Just like a jigsaw puzzle,
I will put Him together again
with the patience of a chess player.

How many pieces?

It feels like thousands,
God dressed up like whore
in a slime of green algae.
God dressed up like an old man
staggering out of His shoes.
God dressed up like a child,
all naked,
even without skin,
soft as an avacado when you peel it.
And others,others,others.

But I will conquer them all
and build a whole nation of God
in me- but united,
build a new soul,
dress it with my skin
and then put on my shirt
and sing an anthem,
a song of myself