Religious and spiritual poem. Friday, June 22, 2007 The first of the Ten Commandments A few years ago I began work on the Ten Commandments, which I have paid attention to as a series of Ten poems from time to time. One book I read on the subject of the Ten Commandments noted that the first set of ten brought down from the mountain were shattered and lost, gone in a way but also still available as spirit in the world. For some people, that may be too mystical, and I agree it is an unusual idea. But this first of the Ten Commandments, about which I write as a poem, is the actual First Commandment brought to the people of Israel. There is mystery about these Ten Commandments, for clear as they may be they are the subject of wonderful discussions.