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Below is the poem of the day entitled Accident or Design which was written by poet Terry Flood.

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Accident or Design

The fish needs the anemone; the anemone, the fish 
The pollen needs to be the bumble bee’s most precious wish
There’s fishes that frequent the mouths of huge man eating sharks
There’s places where I walk my dog, where he, at nothing, barks

The dragonfly leaps into flight, how does he know he can
A dolphin will attack a shark… to save his fellow man????
A chick will clamber from an egg and when he’s fully grown
He’ll fly five thousand miles to find a land he’s never known

All of this is cool and yet defies all explanation
So what on Earth created everything in every nation
Coincidence or accident, the odds just made it so
When mother nature’s dice were bad, she took another throw

Do I marvel at the splendour of the stars or moonlit nights
Do I smile when on a lavender a butterfly alights
It’s truly hard to comprehend; to find a rationale
For each astounding thing in this whole world - or this locale

Some say it’s evolution and the rest say we should pray
As though it’s Mother Nature or a god made things this way 
But nature plays a game of chance; things work or don’t last long
I wonder at the notion that a god might get things wrong

There’s negatives… volcanoes, earthquakes, famines and tornadoes 
I’d like to think a watchful god would save us all from those
I know not who or what made planet blue ’pon which we live
But when I see the truth my full allegiance I shall give

For all the birds and all the bees and all the plants and all the trees
Shall fill my heart with joy but shall not bring me to my knees
And yet our science tells us that it started with a bang
Which, some say, is as likely as, “Then all the angels sang.”

But all of us - you, them and I - are mortal as that butterfly
Will answers come the day we die, or will our souls lay down and cry
Will we float into the light with no fears, needs nor appetites
Or will we simply cease to be, with no more days and no more nights

I gaze at all the wonders that form part of all that is
And I don’t know if they are nature’s work or they are ‘his’
I envy those who have the faith; for me, I make this call
How lucky have I been to witness all of this at all?

Karen Jones Date: 7/14/2025 2:10:00 AM Wonderfully written potw Terry! Imaginative and clever! Congratulations on potw! Login to Reply

Bill Baker Date: 7/13/2025 9:52:00 PM Back to congratulate you on your poem receiving the honor of POTW! Excellent and well-deserved, Terry. Enjoy your week of recognition my friend. Bill Login to Reply

Brandy Nicole Date: 7/13/2025 4:23:00 PM Hi Terry, nature is the perfect example of how things came to be. :) Looking at the beginning- in Gen 1:14, --Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and they shall serve as signs and for seasons, and for days and years.-- So wonderful, indeed. God set things in motion. Anything bad is because of man and sin. My best to you and congratulations on Poem of the Week. Hugs, Brandy Login to Reply

Linda Alice Fowler Date: 7/13/2025 10:30:00 AM Surely hits home with me Terry. Philosophical musings well-rhymed. ;);) A fav for me. Congratulations on recognition as POTW! :) Login to Reply Terry Flood Date: 7/13/2025 2:58:00 PM Glad you enjoyed, Linda. Thanks for the fav. Terry

Tania Kitchin Date: 7/13/2025 5:57:00 AM Terry, I enjoyed your poem. So well penned. Congratulations on POTW. Login to Reply Terry Flood Date: 7/13/2025 8:35:00 AM Thanks, Tania. Much appreciated. Terry

Tom Woody Date: 7/13/2025 5:52:00 AM Interesting choice for potw. Like Andrea, I'm 100% a believer in a benevolent Creator. Unlike many, I believe macro evolution to be a lie full of holes (where are all the fossils of species in transition?). I've studied the Bible intensely for over forty years and am convinced this book that has over five billion copies in circulation and has been translated in over three thousand languages is God's letter to us explaining how we got here, why we're here, where we're going. Login to Reply Terry Flood Date: 7/13/2025 8:33:00 AM I think all POTD and POTW are, in many ways, interesting choices, Tom. Seemingly, no one knows how they’re selected for the honour… I sure can’t figure it. I once had POTD (may have even been POTW… kinda rings a bell) with a poem about Jack and the beanstalk… featuring a Robin Reliant (a three wheeled car). I’ll happily accept the award but I’m in no doubt that there were plenty of others worthy or more worthy than my little ditty.. As for creation… The only thing I know for sure is “It is what it is” . Cheers Tom. Terry Tom Woody Date: 7/13/2025 5:54:00 AM As far as the bad things that occur, it's because mankind chose independence from God, therefore as a whole this world falls under Satan's dominion. Hitler times a thousand. But not for much longer Terry. Enjoy your special week

Beryl Edmonds Date: 7/13/2025 2:46:00 AM Congratulations on having received poem of the week award Terry. An excellent write, we are all indeed lucky to have witnessed it all… Beryl Login to Reply Terry Flood Date: 7/13/2025 8:23:00 AM Thank you, Beryl, and thank you for bringing POTW to my attention. Am I chuffed… you bet I am! Terry

Bill Baker Date: 7/9/2025 3:45:00 PM I'm just thankful I got to play a small part in all of creation and I'm in awe of the genius that created it all. Awesome read, my friend. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us through your fine poetry. Write On! A poet friend in Texas, Bill Login to Reply Terry Flood Date: 7/13/2025 8:21:00 AM Thanks, Bill. Religion can be a contentious issue, so I consider my lines carefully, to avoid appearing to ridicule or question someone’s religion. I don’t know the answer to the question I pondered, and if someone, such as yourself, has faith, I’m not about to argue with you. Thanks so much for the fave, appreciated. Terry

Bill Baker Date: 7/9/2025 3:43:00 PM A FAV for my list, Terry. The world and all that is, can be quite challenging to comprehend. I know you probably know that I'm one that has faith. I believe (all that is) was created by a creator ... by intelligent design. Even if it was a "Big Bang" I believe the Creator made it so. Even though man intelligent tests say I'm quite smart; I will never understand the mind of the Creator, I call God. Login to Reply

Gershon Wolf Date: 7/8/2025 8:39:00 PM OK. I think ALL of us can meet at the intersection of your last line. Wish it could be posted where everyone could see it. Sweet, Terry. Thanks a zillion, Gershon Login to Reply Terry Flood Date: 7/13/2025 8:13:00 AM Thanks Gershon. This was one of those poems that had no destination in my head. Wasn’t long before it found its path and became what it became. Glad you enjoyed. Terry

Andrea Dietrich Date: 7/8/2025 4:19:00 PM Love the ending you put on it. Many scientists once atheists finally came to the conclusion there had to be a creator. Of course there are are some who can't believe it either. However, I have thought about God and religion a lot in my lifetime. What really convinced me was hearing and seeing reenactments of near death experiences on different TV shows, etc. For example, girl blind from birth who left her body during surgery when her heart stopped. How she saw things for first time! Login to Reply Andrea Dietrich Date: 7/9/2025 12:45:00 PM why not call yourself agnostic? At least you have a little doubt. There can be evolution within the plan of the world's origin. I think it's foolish when religious people do not take evolution into account. However, I find it hard to accept man evolving from monkeys! Terry Flood Date: 7/8/2025 4:24:00 PM Thanks, Andrea. If atheist is 0 and believer is 10, I guess I’m about a 2. I firmly accept ‘evolution’… I guess it’s the beginning that I question ;-) Andrea Dietrich Date: 7/8/2025 4:22:00 PM Saw colors and could tell what she heard even though she was supposedly "under" Those who see God or the brilliant light all describe such incredible love that they don't want to return to their bodies. So many profound things. I don't believe in religion any more. The message in every culture is simply to love.

David Kavanagh Date: 7/7/2025 2:06:00 PM I don’t believe the universe started by accident or design Terry, all I do know is that it was inevitable and had to happen, Why? because we’re here! Some wonderfully crafted lines in this existential piece, yes there are on the surface what may appear negative natural disasters, but if the asteroid hadn’t wiped out the dinosaurs, chances are we wouldn’t have evolved, not yet anyway. A thought provoking well written poem, worthy of a fave, cheers David Login to Reply Terry Flood Date: 7/7/2025 3:31:00 PM Thanks David. Nice to see you back on these boards. Mind you, I’ve been absent, on and off, for a while now, so you could have been back for sometime. As I intimated to Ilene, This was one of many ‘going nowhere’ poems. Kept coming back to it as it was all I had that seemed to have something to work with. As such, I’m proper chuffed with a fave. Thanks for that. Terry.

Ilene Bauer Date: 7/7/2025 12:19:00 PM I love these philosophical musings, Terry - what a pleasure to read them in perfect rhyme! I very much agree with your conclusion and especially like the line about being as mortal as the butterfly… Login to Reply Terry Flood Date: 7/7/2025 12:29:00 PM Struggling with inspiration for some time now, Ilene. This has been through so many incarnations, including a supposed ‘comic’ write which included, “Is one of us a butterfly?” That line became the “mortal” line. I actually had three further verses focused more upon the birds and beasts but I simply couldn’t squeeze them in anywhere that didn’t feel contrived. Perhaps I’ll write something to use them up. Glad you enjoyed

Tom Cunningham Date: 7/7/2025 9:27:00 AM A verse of wisdom Terry, been absent for a while, been busy doing a slideshow for a forthcoming family reunion. All done now 572 slides later. On my travels again, greetings from Turkey. Hope you're keeping well. Tom Login to Reply Terry Flood Date: 7/7/2025 11:45:00 AM Thanks Tom. Enjoy Turkey. Terry

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