[the Writing of Kuypers]    [JanetKuypers.com]    [Bio]    [Poems]    [Prose]

See YouTube video 4/21/19 on Easter of Janet Kuypers reading her poem “Genesis Twenty-Two”, on the last day the restaurant “Opal Divine’s Marina” was open in Austin (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera, and given a Black & White filter).

See YouTube video 4/21/19 on Easter of Janet Kuypers reading her poem “Genesis Twenty-Two” on the last day the restaurant “Opal Divine’s Marina” was open in Austin (video filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera).

See YouTube video 4/21/19 on Easter of Janet Kuypers reading her poem “Genesis Twenty-Two”, on the last day the restaurant “Opal Divine’s Marina” was open in Austin (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera, and given a Posterize filter).

See YouTube video 4/21/19 on Easter of Janet Kuypers reading her poem “Genesis Twenty-Two”, on the last day the restaurant “Opal Divine’s Marina” was open in Austin (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera, and given a Sepia Tone filter).

Enjoy this YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Dreams 2/3/19”, “Ending It with Alexa”, “Genesis Twenty-Two”, and “Niobium 92 & Solar System Secrets” from the cc&d 1-4/22 issue collection book “Unfinished Business” on 8/3/22 on the 1st Wednesday of the month (1:00-3:00 PM CST) in honor of ‘Community Poetry’ (from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuypers #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading #janetkuyperstwitterverseperiodictablepoem

Enjoy this Facebook live video stream of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Dreams 2/3/19”, “Ending It with Alexa”, “Genesis Twenty-Two”, and “Niobium 92 & Solar System Secrets” from the cc&d 1-4/22 issue collection book “Unfinished Business” on 8/3/22 on the 1st Wednesday of the month (1:00-3:00 PM CST) in honor of ‘Community Poetry’ (filmed & streamed from a Samsung S9 camera; posted on Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuypers #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading

Enjoy this YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Genesis Twenty-Two”, “Genesis Twenty-Three”, “Genesis Twenty-Eight”, “Genesis Thirty-Seven”, “Genesis Forty and Forty-One”, and “Genesis Forty-Two and Forty-Three” from the CyberWit.net Janet Kuypers 2023 poetry book “Testament” outside at the remains of the pool of the Branch Davidian compound near the 30-year anniversary of the Waco siege for the 2023 Poetry Bomb (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera; on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). You can also enjoy this YouTube video filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera; on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr. You can also enjoy this as a Facebook video filmed and streamed from a Samsung S9 camera; on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, and Tumblr. #janetkuypers #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading #janetkuyperspoetrybomb

Genesis Twenty-Two Janet Kuypers 2/2/19 Living in this desert land is never easy, but the middle east is all I’ve ever known. And I want to do everything I can for me and my wife and my only son, but the only dictator who has ruled over us all — for all my life and longer — is so tyrannical, so torturous, even when I have never done anything wrong. I know of how once, many years ago, he let the entire land flood, destroying almost everyone, and more recently he even destroyed an entire city not far from here — I heard this from a few who have survived his wrath. This is why I try to do everything I can to stay in our dictator’s favour — even when his demands seem so absurd, and you still have no choice but to comply. Recently, a few of his goose-stepping storm trooper henchmen approached me and I was afraid of what they were going to say to me, or what they would do to me. But they came to me like angels at first, saying there was only one thing the dictator asked me to do, and if I did this, then me and my wife would remain in the dictator’s favor. “These are the words from the dictator himself,” these “angels” said to me, so I eagerly asked what my dictator wanted me to do. Now, I always thought this dictator was ludicrous, but when his henchmen told me that to win his favour I had to kill my only son, I thought this had to be a joke. But the “angels’” expressions never changed, so I understood that in order for us to live my son, at my own hand, must die. Now, you may hear this story and think of the cruelty of this murderous act — but no one thinks of the suffering I had to go through, to make the decision that me and my wife may have salvation from the wrath of this eternal dictator as long as I committed this one truly inhumane act, the one thing a father would never, ever want to do. This tortured me, this tormented me, but I knew this was the only thing I could ever do. The dictator even showed me a place that was far away, so no one would know of the barbarous act I committed to my only son. So a few days later I asked my son to come with me while I made an offering, so we could be at peace. And my son was happy to come with me, ‘oh, how I love him so, I still cannot believe I am actually going to do this,’ is all I could think as I was preparing myself to kill my only son, my flesh, my blood. And when we got to the farther mountain and saw a clearing for the offering, my son even asked what we were going to be offering. And although it broke my heart, I took a rope and bound my only son, and when he was restrained I grabbed a large knife I brought along, and when I lifted that knife up high — that is when I heard the henchmen come to the clearing to say stop. They said unto me, “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him.”* They knew I would do this one heinous act, and they said that our dictator was pleased that I feared him so much, so deeply, that I was willing to kill my only son. Yes, this is the story of how the people who are good to our leader, how we can still be tormented this way. Am I now in his favour because little old me was willing to be as heinous as he? That I would destroy life, derived from me? This is what I battle in my mind now, every day. It makes me wonder what I’m truly willing to do, to be — with any attempt, to try to be free.   * Quote from Genesis, chapter 22, the Holy Bible.

Copyright © Janet Kuypers.

All rights reserved. No material
may be reprinted without express permission.

Like Janet Kuypers’ writing on any of these links below: