The Two Things Most Afraid

The gun is afraid of quiet. It mistrusts rooms where nothing happens, drawers that stay closed, hands that never shake.

It prefers urgency. Noise makes it feel necessary. Silence feels like unemployment.

The bible is afraid of being read without permission. Afraid of the footnote, the margin, the person who notices what’s missing.

It fears questions that don’t kneel. It fears time more than doubt.

Both hate being set down. Both panic when left alone with no one to explain them.

The gun fears mercy— not forgiveness, just the kind that doesn’t ask to be earned.

The bible fears strength that doesn’t apologize afterward.

They tell us they are tools. They insist they are answers.

Mostly they are afraid we’ll discover how little either can do once we stop being scared.

      Geppetto – December 23, 2025