where careless gods rule

This world can be mercy,
a soft rehearsal for eternity,
where even suffering has meaning
and the dark bends toward dawn.

Life can be
the closest one comes to fire.

Other times,
it is the feast before the famine,
the glittering illusion
before the fall.

Ease can feel
like the nearest taste of heaven.

Here on earth,
where careless gods rule,
the wealthy,
the privileged,
tongues of promise,
hands too clean
to touch the poor.

They climb a glass mountain
and rise in a hollow glide
inside a silent lift.

They toss the world like dice
and souls like stones,
skimming across shadowed waters,
believing even gravity
bows to their will.

Their power is absolute silence
with the wind too thin to carry protest.

Their future
measures itself
against the weightlessness of their past,
not a long journey through fire
but a single, sudden
terrible drop.

Yet even where careless gods rule
their dominion ends
where the sun burns out
and where the moon’s cold face turns away.

Beyond all light and shadow
reigns the Name no mouth can master,

whose mercy mends
what men have broken
and whose voice stills the wind
and gathers the scattered home.

Author's Note

I wrote this poem as a reflection on the Name YHWH. Throughout history, it has been regarded as too sacred to pronounce aloud, and reverence for it has shaped the ways it is spoken and written.

Reviews

[Art Sun]

There are those who beleive they are beyond any grasp of the most Powerful Name, the most powerful of All who with one swoop can bend, mend, and change the minds of those who will be humbled ...

[RomaJ]

Thank you, Art. I love how you’ve captured the tension between human pride and the reach of the Most Powerful Name. Your reflection resonates deeply with the heart of the poem.

[Art Sun]

Your Welcome

[Thomas W Case]

Beautiful. I use it as well as Yeshua...Great work.

[RomaJ]

Amen. And thank you Thomas. Your thoughts is much appreciated

[Kenneth The Poet]

A great write. I think you nailed it.

[RomaJ]

Thank you! I really appreciate your kind words. I’m glad it resonated with you.

[Soren]

A wonderful poem that speaks of human nature toward greed, being audacious, power hungry, prejudiced, selfish and insensitive and how all that is swept away by a greater power. I am presently working on a similar poem that still has a bit to complete and some bugs to work out. Loved this piece

[RomaJ]

Thank you so much, Soren. I truly appreciate your kind words and your thoughtful reflection on the poem. I’m glad the contrast between human ambition and the greater, restorative power resonated with you. It sounds like your own poem is exploring similarly profound territory, and I hope your work continues to evolve beautifully. I would love to read it when it’s ready.

[Soren]

It is my pleasure my friend

[Jansy]

You know I came back to read this again. I read it several times actually.

It's just stunning because the poem reads like a cinematic monologue.

There is a quiet, almost inevitable reckoning in the tone, the kind you would hear in a dystopian film just before a pivotal moment. It balances stark observation with almost spiritual reflection, which is why it feels so profound despite its simplicity.

The lines about “careless gods” and the privileged tossing the world like dice create a vast, oppressive panorama, yet the poem never feels heavy-handed. It is observational, almost elegiac. Then it pivots beautifully to that final, transcendent note: the unreachable Name that mends what humans have broken. That turn gives the poem a quiet hope, a cosmic scale beyond human cruelty, which is exactly what makes it feel like a monologue spoken over sweeping visuals in a dystopia.

If I were casting it in my head as a film scene, it would be delivered in a slow, measured voice. Someone would be standing on a rooftop overlooking a fractured city, the wind barely moving as they speak, letting the imagery sink in.

If you think about it, some of the wealthiest people donate their fortunes to charity when they die, leaving their families with nothing. Perhaps it is their fear of what comes when the sun burns out and the moon turns its cold face.

[RomaJ]

Thank you so much, Jansy. I love how you described the poem as cinematic, almost like a monologue over a fractured city..that’s such a vivid way to see it.

I’m humbled by your generous words. Your insight about the balance between human cruelty and the transcendent mercy of the Name is exactly what I hoped to convey. I’m so glad the poem sparked that kind of imagery and reflection for you. I deeply appreciate the thought and care in your reading.

-Roma

[Jansy]

My pleasure

[Neville]

So far, I have read this three times back on back .. each time I have found it builds upon itself and gets better and better and makes even more sense .. You could not have chosen a more apt title to head the page/poem and I sincerely take my hat off to you ma'am .. No doubt tho' I shall be back here again .. Kind regards, Neville 😎🌻🌻🌻👍

[RomaJ]

Thank you so much, Neville! I really appreciate your thoughtful words and your reading of the poem. It’s wonderful to read your reflections, and I admit I was a little worried the title might be too long and was tempted to edit it haha. I’m glad I kept it as is, and I’m delighted that you mentioned the title. I truly appreciate your kind and thoughtful review.

[Chris Shaw]

This beautiful poem RomaJ is like a warm comfort blanket on a cold dark night.

Life can be the closest
one comes to fire, so true for the many suffering.

So profound.

The careless Gods versus the divine presence.

Your final stanza about the mending of all that is broken speaks to me of eternal peace. You have such a remarkable poetic voice. Thank you for your presence.

Chris

[RomaJ]

Thank you so much, Chris. I really appreciate your words. I’m glad the poem resonated with you and that the final stanza brought a sense of peace. Your reflection on life as fire and the contrast between careless gods and the divine presence captures exactly what I hoped to convey. It means a lot to hear that it connected with you.

[red93]

Holy is the Lord Jehovah - beyond the utterance of mere mortals. This is Fabulous again Roma - The moderators on the Cafe ought to be giving you a Special Award for yr current output. Exceptional Plus ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[RomaJ]

Thank you so much, red93! Your words mean a lot. I really appreciate you taking the time to read and reflect on the poem so thoughtfully. It’s wonderful to know the imagery and message resonate, and your encouragement truly brightens my day.

[red93]

✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[Jansy]

RomaJ, this piece really hits deep. It's so beautifully written, and I absolutely loved the way you handled the contrast between the world we see and the truth that holds it all together.
​That imagery of the "careless gods" on the "glass mountain" and rising in a "silent lift" is just chilling. It perfectly captures how empty and brittle that kind of isolated power really is. You make it so clear that their "ease" is actually a "hollow glide," lacking the meaning that even suffering can sometimes bring.
​But the turn at the end is what makes this so powerful. Drawing in the reverence for the "Name no mouth can master" is brilliant. It creates this huge, peaceful relief. A promise that all the breaking and scattering done by those on earth is ultimately mended. The line about divine mercy "gather[ing] the scattered home" is such a comfort.
​It's a beautiful, strong, and necessary poem. Thank you for sharing this! To make up for my quick, thoughtless comment. I thought I should write something decent for this beautiful and profound poem

[RomaJ]

Thank you so much, Jansy. I really appreciate your careful reading and how you picked up on both the tension of the earthly “careless gods” and the quiet hope in the ending. That contrast.. the hollow glide of human power against the enduring mercy beyond .. was exactly what I hoped to capture. I’m really glad it resonated with you, and your reflection on it adds even more depth to how I see the poem myself. Truly grateful for your kind words.

[ShadesofV]

The poem contrasts human arrogance:the “careless gods”. With a divine presence that is beyond human control, ultimate in mercy, and restorative beyond what people can damage or command.

No matter how absolute human power may seem, there is a transcendent force that ultimately holds the world together.

Deeply powerful and evocative write.

[RomaJ]

Thank you so much, Vlue. I really appreciate your thoughtful reflection. You’ve captured the essence of the poem beautifully..the contrast between human arrogance and a transcendent, restorative presence is exactly what I hoped to convey. I’m glad it resonated with you. Your words mean a lot!

[ShadesofV]

"Ease is the closest to heaven" because the rich and the privilege inherit the earth. The poor will know richness in heaven