‘On the Murder of Two Women Outside the Gare Saint Charles in Marseilles, France’ by James A. Tweedie

Blasphemy

A Reflection On the Murder of Two Women Outside the Gare Saint Charles in Marseilles, France, This Morning, October 1, 2017

“Allahu akbar!” The words rang clear,
As if the man was shouting them at me.
I had no way of knowing they would be
The final words that I would ever hear.

Such a phrase! I made a mental note
To set aside some time to meditate
On what it means to say that “God is great!”
. . . My final thought before he slit my throat.

A mas’baha is strung with many a bead—
Exactly ninety-nine—to honor, laud,
And glorify the holy Names of God;
Each Name an inspiration, prayer, and creed.

One hundred beads would be a travesty.
And God as “Slayer of Women” is blasphemy.

James A. Tweedie is a recently retired pastor living in Long Beach, Washington. He likes to walk on the beach with his wife. He has written and self-published four novels and a collection of short stories. He has several hundred unpublished poems tucked away in drawers.