Allegorize!

The liturgy goes on about a "king"
as if that should evoke reflexive awe.
We're slow to change the lyrics we all sing,
but poetry's untrustworthy as law.
We've substituted prayers for blood, and fire,
but kept the bronze-age imagery intact.
Whatever in us yearns for something higher
finds ancient metaphors can hold us back.
The species easy to domesticate
had social hierarchies we could co-opt.
To meekly trust a master with their fate,
unquestioning who gets to be on top.
No unseen patriarch rules from on High;
the sacrificial animal is I.