The Thing, The Path, The Goal

I wrote this poem in the weeks that followed my "disciplinery" removal from my old church because it "came to their attention" that I was divorcing my wife "to have a sex change." In truth, we were divorcing, but it was by mutual agreement without malice. The church's view is that being transgendered is a sin. The psychiatric and psychological associations are now leaning toward the viewpoint that it is a form of intersexism, but as yet, our diagnostic capabilities with regard to gender and the brain are insufficient to define a test for brain gender. But, from a practical standpoint, if the individual is driven toward suicide because of the cognitive dissonance between body and mind, it's clinically appropriate and compassionate to help that individual live their life in a manner that best fits their psyche. I wrote the poem using a fictional character who is intersexed, one "born" with indistinct or ambiguous genitals, who encounters the church and interacts with their opinions in a way that I was not allowed. Surely, one born with that condition has committed no sin and is innocent. The poem alludes to another who was innocent, yet who was sacrificed because of the cruelty and rigidity of his persecutors. If you know that story, you should be able to see the parallel from the very first paragraph and through it to the end. This is a long poem because it parallels this archetypal story. I beg your indulgence. If you do not like meter or rhyme, let someone else review this, as you will stumble over the form and miss the message. I chose the form because it benignly sucks you in, then puts you in a position to choose at the end of the "parable." Will you be offended? Will you be compassionate? We shall see. Btw, one allusion at the end to "sexaholics" is because the church decided I was a sexaholic and I should go to Sexaholics Anonymous. My normally dour psychiatrist belly laughed over that one. He said, "I don't think they will do much to help you, but if they find out your issue, you may be a cause of stumbling to them." Suffice it to say, religious "counselors" should know their boundaries and avoid the deep-end of the psychological pool or they will discover that real professionals, with medical and psychological sciences training, will see them as fools.

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