I Would Rather be a Heathen

I would rather be a Heathen  
and live life in the present,  
than be religious and live in  
fear of the past.  
 
I would rather be a Heathen  
and gaze at a bird - wings  
outstretched and soaring free,  
than gawk at a lifeless man,  
arms splayed and impaled to  
a dead tree.  
 
I would rather be a Heathen  
and listen to the soothing voices  
of brooks and breezes,  
than pay heed to a self-proclaimed,  
self-righteous, arrogant orator  
of superstitious rhetoric.  
 
I would rather be a Heathen  
with an open mind towards  
diverse ideas and customs,  
than be locked in the pages  
of stale stories and traditions.  
 
I would rather be a Heathen -  
a tiger strolling through  
life's jungle, accepting the path  
the Universe presents to me,  
than a sheep munching from a trough,  
long ago built by the Shepherd  
to manipulate His flocks' destiny.  
 
Heathen, pagan, barbarian, heretic;  
call me what you will. I am  
alive and free; free from fear  
of what could be and living  
in the moment of all that is.