Put a white coat on WHY and you found a religion

Give him a clipboard and let him make lists Let him attempt to describe the indescribablePenetrate the impenetrableAnd ask unanswerable questions

Then give him moneyLetters after his nameStaff in white coats with letters after their namesAnd large buildings to worship in

Invent new instruments to investigate the WHYTo tear its wings offPenetrate its pounding heartEavesdrop on its intimate partsAnd discover the astounding language of its soul

Then let him invent a language of his ownA sacred tongue acquired painfullyThrough long and arduous processesProcedures stained with smelly substancesThat make no sense

And let these barbarous sounds be elevatedGiven magic properties and special numbers To increase their supernatural qualitiesAnd enhance their glamour

You are well on the way to founding a religionBy now the WHY has many followers Eager to join the throng To sacrifice themselves in its blessed name

Many will die in this great vocation Scurrying for letters after their namesBut many will win prizes Their fame attracting others to the causeA life of devotion and white-coated sacrifice To sacred worship of the holy WHY

And everyone will believe what they sayHallelujah!

(from THE FRUIT THAT BITES BACK copyright E. J. Ward 2016)