Folly of the Faithful Canine

Some claim the Ten Commandments form the basis of our laws.
I find that that position, at a glance, has many flaws.
To wit, the First Amendment grants our freedom of religion.
We may have other gods and icons per the founders’ vision.
While taking Yahweh’s name in vain in some states has been banned,
Such laws are all repealed or unenforced throughout the land.
For working on the sabbath, there’s no penalty at all.
Dishonoring ones’ folks would be a judgment tough to call.
It’s true most kills are not allowed, tho people disagree
On where to draw the lines for what is murder as they see.
Adultery was banned in a majority of states
Until the past few decades (hey, it’s hard to validate).
The ban on theft, like that on murder, gen’rally is plain,
Tho government enacts some things like eminent domain.
False witness is forbidden when it’s perjury or libel,
But lies are more permissible in law than in the Bible.
And coveting is difficult to prove within a court.
So only some commandments are in U.S. law, in short.

The six-point star, or hexagram, is widely known today
To mean the Jewish folk or faith in many a display,
But Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist art makes use of it as well,
Especially in diagrams (what for, I couldn’t tell).

In early Christian churches, it can signify creation,
And Mormon temples have it stand for reconciliation.
To alchemists, it melds the classic elemental signs.
Occultists try to block or conjure spirits in its lines.

In Jewish and Islamic lore, it’s on the Seal or Ring
Of Solomon to indicate the power of the king
To order jinn and demons and communicate with beasts.
Historians dispute when this began in the Mideast.

The seal was also called the Shield of David, words that came
From somewhere in the Talmud as the Lord Almighty’s name.
It’s thought to have emblazoned shields of David’s army troops
And coins from when bar Kokhba led a Jewish rebel group.

So how’d it turn distinctly Jewish? See medieval Prague:
A Holy Roman Emperor said Jews could have a flag.
They chose the star, which spread ‘cross Eastern European Jews.
Then gentiles found the five-point star much handier to use.

Some folks would like to see the star replaced with a menorah
Or other Jewish symbol, like a scroll that’s labeled “Torah.”
They deem the star too sullied by its use for other stuff.
But I believe it now is recognizable enough.

Shrove Tuesday, the last of the days before Lent,
Is for thinking of sins that one needs to repent.
So from what did the holiday’s title derive?
Why, the preterit form of dated verb “shrive,”
Which refers to the freeing from guilt once confessed.
I can see why this name isn’t favored the best.
Many call it “Fat Tuesday” or French “Mardi Gras,”
As before a big seasonal fast, they will gnaw
On some rich, fatty foods, the traditional one
Being pancakes. That sure went from solemn to fun!

St. Nicholas of Myra left no records—no surprise,
As Rome was then chaotic. If his tales are not all lies,
He may have been a bishop put in prison for his creed
But then released by Constantine, with whom his faith agreed.

The miracles attributed to Nick are quite a few.
I won’t describe them all, but one example ought to do:
He calmed a storm while sailing to the Holy Land and thus
Is patron saint of travelers (that’s likely all of us).

Some say that he attended the first Council of Nicaea,
Where Arius he struck for a heretical idea,
And thus the council had him temporarily defrocked.
This claim arrived much later; if it’s truthful, I’ll be shocked.

A famous tale concerns a man too needy to afford
His daughters’ weddings. Hearing he was faithful to the Lord,
St. Nicholas approached his house at night and threw a purse
Of gold in through a window for a dowry to disburse.

This happened two more times before the father saw the giver,
Knelt down and thanked him greatly for the gold he did deliver.
St. Nicholas insisted that they shouldn’t tell a soul.
So how’d we come to learn it? Does the story have a hole?

Regardless, generosity is still his claim to fame.
About his only other constant aspect is his name.
The version of St. Nicholas we tend to see today
Is very far removed; I won’t ask how he got that way.

A term some churches use is on occasion misapplied:
“Immaculate Conception.” Now, I don’t mean to deride,
But using it in ref’rence to the common Christian claim
That Mary was a virgin when the fetal Jesus came
Is apt to cause confusion or attract some scornful looks,
Not just from theologians or the readers of their books.
Instead, it means that Mary never had the taint of sin
And therefore would be worthy to accept the Lord as kin.
I’m not about to make a case the tenet’s wrong or right.
I merely wish to bring the terminology to light.

A lot of people like to touch or knock on wood for luck,
In many different cultures; boy, the superstition’s stuck.
It may connect with pagan lore of spirits in the trees.
The knock would signal, “Lend us your protection if you please,”
Or drive off evil spirits lest they cause a tragic loss.
Some Christians would relate it to the wood of Jesus’ cross.
The other theory traces to a variant of tag
Where touching wood protected one from capture (what a drag).
This game of “Tiggy Touchwood” from the 19th century
Is backed by folklore scholars, so I think I should agree.

For the first time in ages, I’m practicing Lent,
Tho I’m not of a very devout Catholic bent.
I recalled how the challenge of doing without
What I’d taken for granted could soon bring about
A new outlook of sorts. I would feel reduced need
For the act I abstained from. If still I had greed,
Well, at least I’d be watching my health for six weeks
And a half, and the valleys were followed by peaks:
I’d appreciate better the fun it would bring
When I once more indulged in the long-eschewed thing.
(If you must know, I’m breaking from video games,
Leaving more time to focus on colorful aims.)

Abrahamic religions have different traditions
For grouping the angels by tier.
St. Thomas Aquinas, among other Christians,
Attempted to make it quite clear.

The angels’ nine “choirs” are lumped into triads.
The lowest are meant to serve men.
The least have no label but “angels,” though some
Are our guardians here to the end.

You’d think that “archangels” would form the top choir.
Instead, they’re way down in the eighth.
They tell us what God plans for humans and carry
It out with their allies in faith.

“Principalities” (yes, those are singular angels)
Are linked with some power transitions.
They guide and look after communities, nations,
And churches as part of their missions.

The rest of the angels do not interact
With humanity half so directly.
The sixth choir, “powers,” fight demons to govern
The natural order exactly.

The “virtues” are spirits of motion, controlling
The elements, planets, and seasons,
Aiding miracle workers and bolstering faith
In the Lord (so their name has its reasons).

“Dominions” get guidance from first-triad angels
And use it to govern the rest.
They rarely see fit to make humans aware of them.
That’s, I am sure, for the best.

The others bear little resemblance to humans.
The “thrones,” just for starters, are rings,
All covered with eyes and aflame with God’s love
As they dwell on God’s judgment of things.

The “cherubim” don’t look like Cupid; they all have
Four wings and four faces besides.
Their name means “the fullness of wisdom”; they serve
As protectors and thinkers, not guides.

And finally, “seraphim” (translates to “burning ones”)
Sport not just four wings but six.
They attend right to God, singing praises eternal.
(I looked all this up just for kicks.)

In Irish lore, one Stingy Jack,
A lazy blacksmith, had a knack
For trickery. He asked Old Scratch
To drink with him and turn to cash
To pay for it. The devil did,
And Jack picked up the coin and hid
It in his pocket near a cross
Of silver, trapping like a boss.
He asked to spend the coming year
Without a visit, much less fear
That if he died, his soul would go
To hell. The devil promised so,
And Jack released him. One year passed,
And then they met again at last.
Jack asked the fiend to climb a tree
To grab some fruit, and that’s when he
Engraved a cross within the bark.
(That devil really lacked a spark
Of intellect.) This time Jack said
To leave him be ten years instead.
Within those years, Jack passed away,
But with his sins, he couldn’t stay
In heaven, so he went in search
Of someplace where his soul could perch.
The only item Jack would take:
A turnip carved so he could make
A lantern with a fading ember.
Afterward, folks might remember,
Taking pity on his soul
With veggie lanterns for his stroll.
They’ve used potatoes, larger beets,
And pumpkins all along the streets.

It’s said that Asgard once relied for self-defense on Thor,
And thus, the gods got nervous when he went away to war.
They figured what they ought to do was build a sturdy wall,
But that would take them years if they completed it at all.

Soon word of their predicament got out to foreign lands,
And then they got a visit from a large and brawny man.
He said he’d build a wall too tall for giant foes to climb,
Too thick for trolls to break, and all in just three seasons’ time.

He named his price: the sun, the moon, and Freya’s hand to wed.
The huddled gods did not approve, and Freya’s face turned red.
But Loki recommended that they make the timeline shorter,
And once the builder failed, they needn’t give him any quarter.

The gods agreed: He’d only have a season for his work,
With help from none except his horse. The self-important jerk
Would not decline a challenge, as unlikely as it seemed,
And with his start, they’d get the wall up faster than they’d dreamed.

But after several weeks, their bet was looking not so wise.
He had to be a giant in a magical disguise.
If Freya had to marry him, she’d ask the gods to kill
The one who first proposed the bet, so Loki got a chill.

That evening, in the field appeared a super-pretty mare.
The stallion, Svadilfari, lost his loyalty right there.
He didn’t heed his master’s call but chased her through the wood.
The builder waited hours, but he’d lost his horse for good.

It soon became apparent that he wouldn’t make the grade.
The gods went out to jeer at him and thus perhaps dissuade.
He then assumed his giant size and charged at them in ire,
But Thor showed up in time to cause the builder to expire.

The gods took weeks to finish the construction he’d begun.
They wished they’d stopped him later, but at least old Thor had fun.
For many months, they couldn’t tell where Loki chose to go,
Until he came, embarrassed, with a certain foal in tow.