Job: A Conversation with God

“The Lord has given,
And the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Blessed? I’m not so sure.
My faith feels shredded
By shards of pain
From the broken window
Of my life.
(And Job groans)

"All the world's a stage....”
And I am the master player,
Tossing Jobs from stage to stage,
Castles to dung heaps everyday.
(And God smiles)

Your discipline is killing me slowly.
I don’t want to be a student of life.
Not anymore; give me death, please,
(And Job bows his head)

So, take your own life, then
And be the master of your fate!
Unless there's something
You want to be for the next hand.
There will be one, you know.
(And God shuffles the deck)

No, I don’t know, I only have faith.
So, the wages of righteousness
Are suffering and loss, then?
Sounds more like Satan’s game
Than Yours.
(And Job's eyes flash)

The lightning that strikes,
The pestilence that spreads,
The flood waters rolling in
Without caring who you are;
That’s my game.
(And God’s eyes flash)

But I am made in Your image!
Your breath is in my nostrils.
Where’s Your side of the covenant?
I thought we had a deal.
(And Job shakes his fist)

Ah, but you don’t see the fine print
From where I sit.
I see all that is and am that I am,
The seer of the big picture.
(And God shines)

Ok, You gave birth to stars
And death to planets.
You are the One, then,
You have won.
(And Job sighs)

I feel your pain,
But not your suffering,
For I know the end game,
So it’s all the same...to Me.
(And God shrugs)

So, until the end, then,
I remain on the wheel
Strapped to this life
Until I reach the knife
And escape.
(And Job grits his teeth)

That’s right; that’s right.
(God smiles again,
Shuffles the cards,
And gives Job a new life).


Joanne Sprott
11/8/05

© Copyright 2005, Joanne E. Sprott