Thou Shall Not
Thou Shall Not
“Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” Exodus 19:5
By M. Allshouse
Thou shall not
The words are so specific.
No room for error or misinterpretation.
Marriage is such a sacred vow,
but loneliness is the only thing that it taught me.
Thou shall not commit adultery.
But what do I do
when that vow’s been broken
by someone other than me?
---
Thou shall not
I’ve never been one for sticky fingers—
taking what never belonged to me.
Ownership isn’t always black and white, sometimes grey.
Ownership of my heart, though…
Solitude is the only thing it taught me.
Thou shall not steal.
But is it really thievery
when in your hands
is where it was meant to be?
---
Thou shall
Family is above all else.
Or at least that’s what the Bible insists.
Your mother and father—
revered and respected.
Abandonment, in reality,
is all that mine taught me.
Thou shall honor thy mother and father.
But how can I honor them
when they are whispers to the past,
having left me?
---
Thou shall not
There is power in truth.
Gossip is a slippery slope,
you're held on by a noose.
No half-truths or lies—
screaming silence
is all the truth has fed to my mind.
Thou shall not bear false witness.
But what if the lie
is to myself—
meant to preserve,
not to blind?
---
Thou shall
Sundays are for God.
Religion and ritual, not work.
Attend the service, commune with God.
But instead of giving me community,
they ask for my purse.
Thou shall keep the Sabbath holy.
But why can I only do that
in a pew
in a church?
---
Thou shall not
I was taught that death was visceral—
it was not pleasant.
Life is sacred,
and everything deserves to breathe.
But when you don’t root out the weeds,
it showed me
how lonely that ill-kept garden could be.
Thou shall not kill.
But would the murder
of the hands that try to crush
the roses in my soul
be any loss at all?
---
Thou shall not
Others find love.
So many find happiness.
So much good fortune
bestowed on strangers.
But I’ve been left alone—
in a mess of wreckage
not my own.
Thou shall not covet.
But is it really greed at all
just to want
those same healing waters
to touch my soul?
---
Thou shall not
I know there is more—
things I shall and shall not do.
I could continue to list them,
but the question
is already bursting into view:
Maybe I would listen more…
if I didn’t have to question—
God… where are you?
Thou Shall Not
“Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” Exodus 19:5
By M. Allshouse
Thou shall not
The words are so specific.
No room for error or misinterpretation.
Marriage is such a sacred vow,
but loneliness is the only thing that it taught me.
Thou shall not commit adultery.
But what do I do
when that vow’s been broken
by someone other than me?
---
Thou shall not
I’ve never been one for sticky fingers—
taking what never belonged to me.
Ownership isn’t always black and white, sometimes grey.
Ownership of my heart, though…
Solitude is the only thing it taught me.
Thou shall not steal.
But is it really thievery
when in your hands
is where it was meant to be?
---
Thou shall
Family is above all else.
Or at least that’s what the Bible insists.
Your mother and father—
revered and respected.
Abandonment, in reality,
is all that mine taught me.
Thou shall honor thy mother and father.
But how can I honor them
when they are whispers to the past,
having left me?
---
Thou shall not
There is power in truth.
Gossip is a slippery slope,
you're held on by a noose.
No half-truths or lies—
screaming silence
is all the truth has fed to my mind.
Thou shall not bear false witness.
But what if the lie
is to myself—
meant to preserve,
not to blind?
---
Thou shall
Sundays are for God.
Religion and ritual, not work.
Attend the service, commune with God.
But instead of giving me community,
they ask for my purse.
Thou shall keep the Sabbath holy.
But why can I only do that
in a pew
in a church?
---
Thou shall not
I was taught that death was visceral—
it was not pleasant.
Life is sacred,
and everything deserves to breathe.
But when you don’t root out the weeds,
it showed me
how lonely that ill-kept garden could be.
Thou shall not kill.
But would the murder
of the hands that try to crush
the roses in my soul
be any loss at all?
---
Thou shall not
Others find love.
So many find happiness.
So much good fortune
bestowed on strangers.
But I’ve been left alone—
in a mess of wreckage
not my own.
Thou shall not covet.
But is it really greed at all
just to want
those same healing waters
to touch my soul?
---
Thou shall not
I know there is more—
things I shall and shall not do.
I could continue to list them,
but the question
is already bursting into view:
Maybe I would listen more…
if I didn’t have to question—
God… where are you?