Annie Darwin and Arthur Hallam
One Charles Darwin doubted God because
The daughter of the scientist had died.
Or maybe it was more than that. The claws
Of scarlet snarling nature would have dyed
Pure certainty about a loving force
Behind the curtains of the universe.
A trillion deaths per minute in the course
Of any day could teach a man to curse–
But Dillard hadn’t written Pilgrim yet.
Still, what he noted must have sated him
With boding hints, enough to cause a fret
Inside him as he read a world this grim.
..Lord Tennyson and Darwin took a path,
One up to consolation, one to wrath.
by phillipw | Jul 24, 2019 | DA |