I believe in all the gods and none of them ,I say to the holy man between sips of beer.

He smiles back , part amused , part adversarial , part happy inebriated.

If there are gods they are here , in this pub in a moment of happiness.

I believe in all the gods and none of them , as the ills of the world jump from the screen.

Children starve and innocence burns , the world a penance we are forced to hear.

If there are gods they curse our passage , a million lives of sacrifice.

I believe in all the gods and none of them , as I sit with my dog , a moment of communion.

 Scruffy together on a park bench , surrounded by perfectly tended subdivisions,

If there are gods they are with me here , messing up your neighbourhood.

I believe in all the gods and none of them , after four fingers of whisky.

Three am fear of finite mortality , the arc of a life keeps extending in front of me.

If there are gods they offer no comfort , no answers to insomnious anxiety.

But I do believe in all the gods and none of them, much as I suspect they believe in me.