Poem: Why God Created Light

We’re Jewish, Father said, so we’re not
like other people. We’re a little bit different.
But it’s a good difference. It’ll be boring if
everyone worshipped in the same religion.
Jews believe Christ was a great man. He
just wasn’t divine. I haven’t finished reading
the Old Testament. My bookmark is always
missing, so I keep starting at the beginning,
when it was dark and God wanted some light
in the world, not because He didn’t have excellent
night vision — but in order to give people free choice,
they have to be able to see what they’re doing.

Hal Sirowitz is the author of five books of poetry: “Mother Said,” “My Therapist Said,” “Before, During & After,” “Father Said” and “Stray Cat Blues.” His work has been translated into 13 languages.