All in the family

 

All in the family

Haiku of embarrassing nomenclature

Instructed by God,

prophet Hosea marries

prostitute Gomer.

It happens. A man

becomes smitten. Takes a chance;

It might just work out.

Marriage and message

jumbled in the prophet’s life.

Call that commitment!

Filled with sin, the land

has played whore with other gods.

A faithless marriage.

Prophet and harlot

have a child. Name him “Jezreel,”

place of death and blood.

A daughter this time.

Call her “Not Pitied.” Israel

is not forgiven.

A third child, a son.

Make his name “Not my people.”

I am not your God.

Yet, in the end, grace;

hope. They will be called “Children

of the living God.”

© Ken Rookes 2022

Meet the kids: the prophet Hosea introduces his family

G’day, mate.
It has been a long time.
This is the wife, Gomer,
and the kids.
Yeah, she’s always liked bright colours,
haven’t you dear?
I keep telling her that she’s a natural beauty,
that she doesn’t need so much make up,
but she never listens to me.
No, I never thought I’d get married either,
didn’t seem to go with the lifestyle,
but I guess that the Lord had other ideas.
Domestic bliss?
We have our ups and downs.
This one’s our eldest, we call him Coniston*.
His sister, there, her name’s Pathetic Cow,
and the baby; we christened him Refugee.
Yes, I chose the names. Well, no;
it was the Lord, really.
It’s a prophecy thing.
Think about it.
Yeah, we’re all hoping that when they’re older
the message might change
and we can give them new names,
like Mercy, Joy, and Welcome.
I think the Lord would like that, too.


* The Coniston massacre was a series of killings of Aboriginal
people in Central Australia in 1928.


© Ken Rookes 2013