Oh What A Louse, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)

Cymothoa exigua, eats L. Lingua G. Glossa
Cut your tongue out, the cat’s already got it
You’ve been told before, bite and hold it
But these skeptical fishes don’t buy it

If you are a sucker, and swallow it
It won’t give you a Columbian neck tie
But it will, speak and eat for you, tell every little lie
Indoctrinated at birth, less likely to ask why

A parasite’s paradise, unwanted French kiss
The man of the cloth from the pulpit
His ancient predecessors stole the obelisk
In St Peter’s square is now where it sits

He’s the middle man, insight he insists
Your palate is cleaned, symbolic cannibalism
Unleavened wafer, he sticks in your mouth
Morality, morality, he pontificates about

It is too late, he’s dictated your meal
Council of Nicaea, cemented the deal
The three headed figure, is now your trident
Ventriloquist pews in which you sit

Cymothoa exigua, dines in your jaws
Recites in dead language, ancient King James laws
Let us offer a sign of good reasoning , better skepticism
Is a great seasoning.
(end)

(DISCLAIMER) I am an ex Catholic. Now yes, this poem is extremely blasphemous. But it is strictly about bad logic, and early childhood indoctrination into any religion. I just happened to write about my former religion in this poem. It is not advocating violence towards Catholics, or anyone at all. It is arguing that religion in general does make moral claims about the nature of reality, with no evidence whatsoever that that a particular sect has a patent on morality.

The other point of this poem is that it is ok to think for yourself and to consider that you do not need a holy person to figure out right or wrong. The Pope has no more power over anyone than the person is allowing the Pope to have over them.

I do believe outside my skepticism, that if someone is in need of help, say they’ve been in a car accident, everyone would agree, the labels go out the window, the debate goes out the window, and you stop and help that injured person in distress. Humans always deserve the dignity of care in distress.

This poem is strictly about bad use of logic and where our species morality really comes from.

“Cymothoa exigua” is a parasite that invades the mouth of a fish, whom accidentally mistakes it for food. The parasite will cling to it’s tongue eating it, and living in the fish’s mouth eating the food that should go to the fish. In many cases, this does not kill the host fish.

“L. Lingua G. Glossa” is the scientific name for the tongue.

An “Obelisk” is a type of shape, like that of the Washington Monument in D.C. There is an Egyptian Obelisk in the middle of St. Peter’s square that was originally stolen from Egypt by the Emperor Caligula and placed on a nearby hilltop. Eventually the early church took it down off that hilltop and made it a monument in the middle of St. Peter’s square.

I am arguing for people to speak for themselves instead of letting someone speak for them.

This is what the parasite looks like.