With and Without

Faith without reason guides heaven-falling planes into tall buildings.
Faith without reason shakes boulders off mountains quaking with artillery shells.
Faith without reason is the conscience of the holier slaughtering the thou.
Faith without reason is the false god's reward for offerings of burnt flesh.
Faith without reason stokes fiery hordes with the courage of charging lemmings.

Reason without faith requires an expensive wardrobe
color coordinated for any fashion.
Reason without faith turns patzers into grandmasters
merely by turning pawns, knights, and bishops into gambits.
Reason without faith cheers both the goosestepping invaders
and the subsequent liberators just as loudly.
Reason without faith sells vials of plague in backrooms,
for a handsome up-front profit.
Reason without faith is the jaded priest's filibuster at the pulpit.

And without reason and without faith the two towers that hold up the sky
collapse like some exhausted Atlas's arms.

But with reason and faith the ramrod towers are rebuilt
just shy of the ziggurat of Babel,
but high enough so the gleaming glass reflects sunlight on all below.
    
Richard Fein

If you've any comments on this poem, Richard.Fein would be pleased to hear from you.