by Daniel Aum

I’ve always found it odd,
when God says fear not,
because it’s the kind of phrase you avoid,
unless you seek relations rot.

“Calm down,” “don’t worry,”
all akin category,
of things not to say
to your spouse in a fury,

unless you know the speaker,
who comes from authority,
where a command means so much more,
manifesting reality.

If you’re going to be fired,
and a friend is near you,
“don’t worry” is poor solace,
unless he can hire, too.

But if it is your boss,
uttering the same phrase,
“don’t worry” is a salve, a relief,
the voice of one who saves.

So when God repeats that funny phrase,
fear not, ever, in any place,
maybe He’s not saving grace,
for some future planning phase,

but offering now, to all
who choose to believe,
the atom and the galaxies 
are in His hands, instant relief.

Daniel Aum is a lawyer and researcher based in Atlanta, GA. He also occasionally writes poetry.