Bailey Owens Poet Free verse

The Ten Commandments, Remastered

I. 
Thou shalt have no other before me.
Worship me, my child. Bow down to me. 
Worship the undeserved gift of my presence. 
 
II.
Thou shalt not question my judgement.
Those who forget their place must be corrected. 
Mercy is wasted on what bites back.

III.
Thou shalt not take my name in vain.
Keep your mouth sealed when I curse yours.
Listen and do as I say. 
 
IV.
Remember the walls, and keep them holy.
Do not leave them. Do not dream beyond them. 
The world outside is meaningless. 
 
V.
Honor thy father and ignore thy mother’s cries.
Her tears are weakness, and your obedience is strength.
Learn to love the sound of my pleasure. 
 
VI.
Thou shalt not heal.
Your pain is devotion. Your hunger is discipline.
To seek relief is to break. 
 
VII.
Thou shalt not desire.
Desire is for me and your husband. 
Your body is a burden to be hidden, then handed over.
 
VIII.
Thou shalt work until your bones ache.
Then walk home alone, and maybe the night will teach you your place. 
You do not deserve my fortune or protection. 
 
IX.
Thou shalt not keep secrets. 
Keep your doors open so I may see all I own. 
Let no thought be private. Let no yearning be yours.
 
X.
Thou shalt not love.
Not her, not kindness, not change.
You, my dear, were born to serve, not to feel.

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