Orphan

It is certain he had a mother,
but a father's name
was never part of the contract.
Nor was there contact.

He was what he was as he came.

He felt no shame,
just a package with a forwarding address,
but again no name;
was whomever he chose
to be called.

He decided to call himself God
and for that was killed,
a precocious child,
the sentence thought to be mild
and, of course, humane.

How could he claim
to be something he knew nothing about
or have no doubt
about whatever it was
he willed?

He was still a child.

People stood about silent,
nothing to say.
Some thought to pray,
but found praying
a frightening exposure.

How could a God,
allow such a thing to happen?
Could it really be
that man could himself be a god,
a god writ small
by the awkward hand of a child?