sail away

when we get to heaven
we’ll gather all the wood
plucked from the judging
and arrogant faces 

we’ll build a ship
and sail back to earth
collecting all the castaways and
lost treasures
like love
and peace
and do-no-harms

we’ll journey up
and storm the gates
our demands will be heard
or god walks the planks
taken from his defenders 

show yourself
Captain
remove our splinters
heal our wounds
your people
pillaged and plundered
and killed our children
where were you
when they took us hostage
when we were beat over the head
by the very materials that made this ship

they called it love
but it was terror
they called it salvation
but it was death
and while we were drowning
they were looking
to make more disciples 

answer
O Captain
here we are
was it your flag they conquered us under
was it your leadership that condemned us to hell
answer or you walk

and as we stand there
holding god responsible
in our makeshift ship
with blunt force trauma
and scarred souls
his followers will finally show up
their eyes bleeding
that’s not god
we haven’t been able to find him yet
but that’s not him
he’s so meek

when we get to heaven
broken and angry
god will look at us
and say
finally
thank you for finding my treasure
and my castaways
for building that ship
for coming back to get me
we’re going to earth now
we’re making something new

we’ll sail back to earth
in god’s new ship
leaving behind
a pile of planks
and bleeding eyes