on my shelf there sits a book
called “encyclopedia of the gods”
and in it alphabetized, like a phonebook,
are listed the gods
from A-Z, thousand of them
some celebrities in my culture and time
some almost forgotten

. . . and i imagine how they have been
living in our human hearts and minds and actions

. . . which leads me to ponder the power of mind
that can attach value, ridicule, or hold sacred anything,
not just the gods

. . . so it would seem,
that i can choose my views and values, even my gods
and i am in awe of this gift
choice
- free from my conformity and laziness
it is a thing of beauty

so i counsel myself to use this gift
for more than the choosing of favorite flavors of ice-cream and sitcoms
to get to know it, buoyantly,
and in the process maybe even surprise the gods of old habits