Conversation with God and the Devil: Helping to heal a broken world.

This is one of my favorites and although it is long, it really does have meaning I hope you enjoy reading it as I have writing these words.

I finally found myself on the precipice of greatness, yet still hanging off the edge of insanity.

This is part one of my epic mini tale called:

 Conversations with God and the Devil: Helping to Heal a Broken World

I Saw God 

I saw God just the other day and as she was walking

by me I stopped and looked at her and asked,

”So how is life high up above?"

but she just looked at me turned and shook her head

so, I said to her

“God, it will be okay I just know in my heart that 

soon we will all get it right one of these days.” 

She stopped right in her tracks then she slowly 

turned around looked me up and down while

she stared like she looking right through me 

must have been for a just minute maybe even 

two then a smile ever so slightly broke out across 

her beautiful face, she took a very deep breath 

and she said to me, 

“You know what, I was just looking down from 

my home high above just the other day and a 

very deep sadness filled me up from the inside 

because of all the violence and hate that is 

everywhere I can see down here on earth it was 

like I was only watching the news on what you 

call the television, I mean I could not believe 

that humans are hating each other all because 

of the color of your skins? Do you not all under

-stand that you are all from me I created you in 

my image and you all are of one kin. Humans 

lying, killing, hurting, and stealing from each 

other and for what? All for greed, it seems with 

all the wars and murder all in religions name," 

She shook her head and with a smirk said now 

stand back and just think about that, really? 

killing another human being all In my name?

I gave you all pure love in your hearts and 

the brains to help one another out, and trees

that are filled with all kinds of fruits and 

animals like cattle and chickens for meat 

and even fire to cook with and to keep you 

warm on those cold and rainy days and tools 

so you could build shelter and that is all you 

really need, I send new souls with babies

that are being born every day who are all filled 

with nothing but innocence and pure love to 

spread around, but all humans now do is teach

all about hate and violence against each other 

with your looks or how you sound.

I will tell you the truth I have all but given up 

hope because I am starting to believe 

what that pain in my butt the devil says when 

I beat him at cards every Tuesday night he is

always saying “that no matter what I do it will 

never be enough.” You have taken me out of 

all the schools now where prayer would help 

teach the children all the golden rules 

you have turned religion into wars and turned 

churches into banks to fulfill all our greed and 

more. Now there are babies dying more than 

ever before they are even born you all have 

children that are living on the streets and they are 

cold and all alone with nothing to eat or drink, I 

was afraid that saving you all now was just too 

much of harrowing feat, and to be honest I 

was just about to throw in the towel and 

admit my ultimate defeat, until just at the moment

you said hello to me, it took me by surprise since 

not many people recognize or even talk to me 

anymore, so I decided that I would take a look at 

you first from the inside, I smiled because you 

are filled with nothing but my love in your kind 

heart, I found that there is no hate or even violence 

inside of you that I could see, you even fought a war 

against hate-filled with my love and all for the 

love of your son a little boy who is not even your 

DNA. You teach love every day and spread peace 

with the ink that you spill all around the world

with the words that shall heal this broken world. 

I want to thank you because now I know that like 

you there are many more with nothing but love

to be found." Then she started to glow, so I stood 

there with tears in my eyes and I said as I cried 

then fell down to my knees and said ”God all of the

strength and hope to fight I got from you and yes 

there many like me who are down here that still 

do love you, We are all trying hard to fight back 

against the prejudices and all the hate we just 

hope that it is working and we all pray every day 

It is not too late. God please we need you more 

right now than at any time other before so

please do not give up on our kind quite yet for our

numbers are growing every day all of the time, we 

will take back this world with you in heart and 

in our minds.” Then I smiled and I kissed God right 

on the cheek and I started to walk away, I wanted 

to say one more thing but when I looked back she 

was already gone except for a bright beautiful ray 

of light the same one that fills my heart and soul 

the same one that gives me the strength and the 

hope to continue this epic fight to fix our broken

world and I will continue to spill my ink hoping that

someone anyone will listen from right here today 

until that day that I see her again at heaven’s gate.

This is part two of Conversations with God and 

the Devil.

I Talked to the Devil 

I talked to the Devil just the other day and I asked 

him a few questions just to see what he would have 

to say, I said to him “Hey Devil it has been long while 

since we spoke last but I can see that the wound 

healed nicely where I had beat your ass."

He stopped and he turned around too looked at me

and with his evil grin, he started rubbing his wound 

and said with a snarl and few cuss words thrown in 

"Hurry up I do not have all day for the likes of you 

stupid, I started to run towards him when he laughed

said "I was only kidding what are the questions 

Richard that you wanted to ask?" 

So I thought for just a minute and took a breath 

and I stepped back lifted my fist ready for a

fight, you see in my life I have fought many times

with the Devil and all the demons that he sends, 

and the one thing that I do know is that Devil will 

never stop or give up trying to beat you until the 

very end, so I said “hey Devil why do you need to 

be so damned mean? Have you seen what our 

broken world now looks like? Hell believe me It 

is one ugly scene. I mean take a good look 

around you got us all fighting over the color of 

our skins and no matter how much we try to stop 

the ignorance it just never will end.

We got wars breaking out now all over the world 

and all in the name of religion that has now killed 

more men, woman, and children than all other 

wars in our history combined, can you imagine 

hat? Is that not damn silly? I mean killing others

in religion's name, then I shook my head and I 

said well it is at least in my mind. Now we have 

pandemics spreading around the world infecting 

everyone and it is killing folks not a cure around 

nobody knows where it really came from but 

they do have a name for it called COVID 19, 

Then we got people dying every day with HIV 

and cancers and other deadly diseases and 

we have pharmaceutical companies who can 

cure them but won’t because they want all the 

research monies that they are given, then we 

have your greatest weapon yet we call it 

an Addiction and it is your crown jewel I bet, 

for it infects everyone and even children too in 

fact, it has even infected me several times in 

the past, and many others that I knew.

Then I started to think about all the friends and 

family that I lost to addiction and I got really mad. 

So just as I did several times before in my past

I raised my Fist and started swinging and I said 

“Hey Devil get ready to hurt again because 

I am going to beat your ass down and throw you 

out the door and this time I am not playing 

I promise you, Devil, this beating will be your last.”

He jumped back real fast and he screamed just 

like a Little school girl and he said ”Wait, wait a 

minute, please I have something that I need to say”

so I said “than say it now If not you just might 

want to pray” So He took a minute and he started to 

cry and shook his head and then he said with tears 

streaming down his cold black eyes ”I really wish 

that I could take all the credit for how your world 

has turned out believe me when I say that I think 

it is wonderful that is no doubt but you see killing 

others in the name of religion that was never really 

me all those killings were by man, not by me, just 

open your eyes and take a look and you will see, 

and all that hate and violence just because of

the color of a man’s skin that is all man once again

because of all his fears that man feels and man's 

fears never will end.” The pandemic wow I always 

wanted this to happen but I am afraid poor Richard

this was all man trying to play God and it out of hand,

then I could see that the Devil was hurting

when he started to say with a half-witted laugh

”Now addiction I really think that one is great 

because there is no one in any world or on any plane 

that is safe, and that includes me from the 

infection that it spreads so damn fast infecting 

everyone and in every home across all the oceans 

and every land. I mean just take a look down in Hell 

it has been full for quite a long while” then he looked 

down with deep sadness as he frowned before he 

said ”I really wish that idea was mine but no no no

addiction is the greatest of all evils was created

by man. 

My job has been very easy for many years now

since man learned his own evil ways, I never have to 

work long hours anymore so now I only work two 

days.” I looked at the Devil with a crazy look In my 

eyes as tears filled the Devils pitch-black eyes and

I noticed that he was looking so old and very tired

he also looked a lot smaller than normal as the 

flames that surrounded him now were no big than 

lighter flame In size and just as he turned around 

to walk away I started realizing what he had said was 

all true and I know he had not lied when he said 

that man is now the root of all evil on this earth 

causing all of our own problems from the beginning 

of our time until our very end from all the wars and 

the violence that we now see everywhere we look 

and all the hate that the eye can see, to the greed 

that rules most corporations now that breed the

situations with child laborers in all the third world 

country's making pennies a day. We have whole families 

that are living on the streets with the children going 

hungry they have no good food to eat or even anything 

to drink, Wages are going down and prices are all 

going up, there are no jobs for anyone, and I think 

the world now has all but given up I really think that 

It is time we all need to open our eyes and take 

a very damn good look around and maybe just maybe 

we then can all start realizing that we need to stop 

what we are all doing and help one another to fix our 

broken world we all need to start caring about others 

and not just ourselves and we need to change

our evil ways or one day we will all wake up and it will 

all be gone and then perish from this world in maybe just

a few short years or even months so open your eyes 

people and stop blaming the devil for all of our problems, 

he is nothing more than just a figment of our

Imaginations and it is time that we come together as 

one race the human race all citizens of the earth help 

heal our broken and sick world.

This is part three of “Conversations with God and 

the Devil.”

The final deal

Just as the Devil started shuffling

and dealing the cards all the while

mumbling under his breath to

himself about how everyone was

cheating and that he should be

the one who was winning as he was

giving everyone the evil eye with that 

damn evil grin of his. Then stopping 

right at me and trying to stare me down

and all pissed off because of our

past experiences, I went ahead and

I took that chance and looked up for

a very quick glance around the table

curious just so that I might see

who else was here, sitting in tonight

for this epic poker game, I started

shaking my head and thinking to

myself, "yes indeed this will be a

most interesting game," because 

sitting on my right was God, and if I

do remember our long conversation

when I saw her just last week,

it was actually supposed to be her

turn to host the game but she had

asked me if I would for my very first

time, all because since her and the

Devil got that really mean and nasty

divorce in a different place and 

different time, there is always some

kind of big huge fight going on, for

example, do you all remember that

huge flood? Yup that's right, so the

Devil is not allowed around up In

heaven anymore. So when they both

invited me at different times to play

poker on Tuesday night, I just had to

say yes, I mean I believe just about

anyone would want to come over

and see this site, tell me if I am

wrong, but I know that am right? 

anyway, before I go on and on, to her 

left was a man I had met at one time

before, he was a great man, an

actor, and our President at one time

before, his name was Ronald W.

Reagan, then on my left was a man

by the name of Buddha, so of

course I asked him If I could rub his

belly for luck. Buddha says, "oh my

Richard luck is what you make it,

I believe that hard work is the best 

way, peace be with, my friend", just 

then the Devil laughed out loud

while rolling his pitch-black eyes,

and that is when Mr. Reagan chimed

in "oh brother, let's not start that

again, Devil just be quiet and deal

the damn old cards, you weasel, so I

can win." To his left was someone

who I never saw before, but I did

have a very strange yet scary

feeling that we had talked more

than a few times before,

somewhere back in my past, and

even though he never said a thing, I

could clearly hear his every word that,

he was saying, right then it hit me 

and I got a big chill because I had

remembered that I have escaped

Death several times before, then he 

looked straight at me and said

"what are you staring at?" So I

looked the other way real fast. Just

then I started really thinking to

myself that maybe this world would

be better off playing poker once a

week, I mean think about it, if we

could get all of the leaders together

in a poker match, then while they

are playing the game they could sit

there while drinking an ice-cold beer

and talk about war and peace, religious 

freedom, feeding the world wide famine, 

all the while, the music was jamming 

then sort things out like real men are 

supposed to do, we would have no more 

raping and killing, and world peace might 

just have a chance to breakthrough. 

Then, just as our game was ready to

begin, there was a very loud

knocking, no it was more like a

banging with a lot of loud screaming

saying "Ronnie Reagan you had

better not be in there" then the door

burst open and standing there was

Mrs. Nancy Reagan with a look that

could probably kill, and I got scared,

then when I turned back around I

had found, that Mr. Regan was long

gone, he had somehow managed to

slip-on out unseen right through the

back door, right then God gave me 

a little wink and very sly smile and the

Devil, of course, stood up and lied he

said "Mrs. Reagan I swear that we

haven't seen him here all night." so

she turned around slamming the door. 

We all laughed for quite a little bit

and we talked about this and that, 

while the game continued all night

into the next day, till about half-past

four, when the only ones left at the table

was myself and Death for one last

deal. We both had two aces that

were showing, while I had the king

of hearts and spades left, that was

not showing in my tired and

trembling hand. Death said with 

absolutely no emotion showing "

now this is very interesting why

don't we up the ante one last time

and see who wins. God then looked

right at me and said, "I don't think

that really is a very good idea." So

the Devil said "Why, what's the

matter Richard? Are you a chicken."

Buddha who was unusually quiet

said with a yawn "I wish I could stay

to see this but I am really tired so I

need to get to bed.” Then said

"peace be with your friends." 

and gone he went. So, I thought to

myself for a few minutes then I

asked "what do you have in mind?"

Death said, "how many times have

you escaped me in your life thus

far?" So I started counting while

stopping on just one hand "oh, I do

believe about four or five times."

Death said "okay, then if I do win

then you won't have a sixth time,

and tonight it will all end." The Devil

started laughing so hard he started

to cry while rolling on the ground

like he was a little kid, until God

jumped up looked right at him with

fire in her eyes then said in a very

calm and collected voice "This is

why Devil, why don't you grow up for

once in your miserable life?" Shook 

her head, then she said "Now get up

off the floor and act like an adult." then

quietly sat back down, looked at me

and said smiled "It is up to you my

dear friend but, I can promise you

this there will be no cheating going 

on" as she then looked back at the 

Devil and said with a firm smile "Does 

everyone here understands?" The Devil 

looked at Death and then we all looked at

each other then we all shook our

heads. God said "okay fine then,

let's all take a quick break then

Richard can make a decision and 

Death can tell him what he gets if 

he wins so if you win you can go back 

and spend seventy-two hours with 

anyone you wish who has died ever 

before I thought about it then we all 

sat back at the table, God said give 

me those cards, she looked at me 

and said Richard you know where 

you will go back to heaven with me, 

but remember I still need you down 

there. So, I said go ahead and deal, 

Death said wait who do you 

choose to visit? I smiled a said.

To be continued.

This is part four of “Conversations with God and 

the Devil.”

The end of the war

The thoughts going through my

head right at this very moment

was what day is it? Tuesday late

night or have we played until

Wednesday I really could not tell

it was like time stood still here

Where ever I was anyway, here I

am still wondering how in the

hell did I get here in the first place 

with God, The Devil, Death,

and Buddha, not to mention

someone I had looked up to

and served under on the military

President Ronald Reagan who

unfortunately left early out the

back door in a hurry and nobody 

had seen him since. But I am

quite sure that he is back at the

ranch doing chores for his wife

Mrs. Nancy Reagan I just shook

my head remembering how it all

started when I saw God about

two weeks ago then I had talked

to the Devil and now there was

one draw left between me and

death with all eyes on me, so I 

said "Death you do not scare me

I know where I am going when I

die, God smiled like a proud

parent besides I was ready to

go a long time ago but God kept

saving me, so yes I will take this

bet on one condition" The devil

jumped up screaming "no no that 

is not the bet I am tired of

you always getting through by

her Grace and Glory that bitch," 

it got very quiet I looked over at

God she had fire in her eyes and

looked like she was ticked off

I had to laugh when she reached

back and swung at the devil 

connecting right in the middle of

his face and poof he was gone

just a smell of Sulphur and some

smoke She turned back got her

composure straightened her

hair took a deep breath of air "I 

sent that piece of charcoal , back 

down to hell, I am sorry yale

had to see that, I am against

violence and fighting so I just

cast him out of here as I have

done from almost everywhere

we play poker, The devil won't be

back tonight so let's finish this

game I have some evil to smite

and a baby shower and a funeral" 

it was so quiet you could just hear 

the sound of silence everywhere. 

Then death said quietly but you can 

tell timidly" so, I was shaking a 

little scared and I think I even might 

have wet myself a little I looked over

God was back to normal I looked 

at death and said "please forgive me 

for I have sinned many times in my 

life" she said with a smile Richard 

my son died for your sins so forget 

it and she placed her hand on my heart 

I was no longer afraid I turned and 

said to death "I have learned that life 

is a gamble every single day, we 

make decision that will decide our 

next move in life, so I will play this 

game and if I lose you win I will let 

you take my last breath and if I win 

I get to talk to any one person that 

had ever lived correct?" Death hissed 

"yes and what's the condition?", I

said that you give me one week

before I die so I can say goodbye 

to my boys and family", Death said 

"fine I waited this long, one week then 

your mine.," God said "if there is any 

cheating death I will resurrect your 

mother in law and ex-wife and I will 

remarry you which I can do and you 

will be with her forevermore," Death 

looked as if he was going to be sick, 

"well then umm maybe we should 

uh I mean can we get a new deck 

of cards right now?" At that very 

moment with a big booming voice 

"Here use these" it was President

Ronald Reagan and threw them right 

at me, I caught them in one hand and 

said thank sir and saluted because 

I had done that once before, he put his 

hand on my shoulder and said "Good luck

son that deck cards I have had since 

George Bush and I played the night we 

were elected, and even when we whooped 

Saddam Hussein's ass," he said "son war 

is hell and that is where it comes from and 

that is where it should stay, but the problem 

is not just evil or the devil or anything like 

that we as humans feel the need to always 

be in charge we fight for survival we fight 

for freedom we fight for the right to fight 

we have fought against each other since 

Adam and Eve, all for power and greed and 

oil, and weapons of mass destruction that 

was probably some kids toy gun but just 

the same, we need to all put aside race and 

religion gender and tradition and start looking 

at what is the most important what we have 

inside." He smiled and said, "do you get it?" 

I thought about it for several minutes and 

said yes I do, so I turned to the Death and 

said sorry not today I need to go, God smiled 

and she closed her eyes death was furious 

but before he could say a word standing next

to him was his mother in law yelling at him 

so he turned and ran as fast as he could 

with her right behind him, then Her and I 

laughed so hard I fell down on the floor it 

was dark I looked around I was dazed I 

must have had a dream and fell out of the 

bed, I thought all of this was just a dream 

God, the Devil, Death, Buddha, President 

and Mrs. Reagan. I smirked crawled back 

in bed said my prayers and went back to 

sleep, I never even noticed that deck of 

cards on the night stand until the morning, 

the card showing was the queen of hearts 

so I drew mine, I laughed and laughed then

went to put it back in the pack but it slipped 

out of my hand then fell on the ground face 

up, would you believe it I just shook my 

head looked down again just to see that it

was the joker showing.

Poet Richard M Knittle Jr.

A Poet's Journey

A twice nominated Texas 

Poet Laureate nominee 

2016-2020