they keep telling me
I am a coward
for not believing in
an ineffable presence
for turning down the offer
of an eternal life

they keep telling me
that I am hubristic;
who am I to believe
god does not exist?
that I was made of
nothing
at all?

but still I do not understand
for does it not take courage
to leave behind all
rudimentary assumptions?

is it not the opposite of
hubris
to proclaim that we are
not special
we are
just
like
the
animals
that walk this earth with us
living
breathing
dying