Silence

[Richard]

Hey RiverNotch,
I have to agree with the other critiques that this poem has some nice images in it, but it's meaning is a bit unclear. I'll try to go into more detail below:

Silence


To be righteous, one must take
Abraham's ritual knife and strip
away the gloves that mask one's trace, -I know that the first three lines are a religious reference, but I also get the feeling of a murderer. I think that was the tone you were going for here. I wonder if it would be stronger to give an example of righteousness instead of using the word "righteous"? For example, "To be a good father, one must take", and keep the next two lines the same. Just a thought.
the shirt that mocks at innocence, -I got a bit lost on this line. Maybe explore the image of the shirt more? This might help the reader understand your message better.

the breasts that feed, the tongue that tastes
and, with its every word of praise
or soured satisfaction, breaks -After reading this stanza numerous times, I'm still a bit unclear about it. I do love the phrase "soured satisfaction" because it could refer to the breast milk or the religious experience. I wonder if there is a way you could expand on this image to better build to your last stanza?
the silence that is righteousness --

but all is forfeit should a drop
of Christian blood be spilled. -I like this ending. However, I think it isn't as strong as it could be because you need to build up to it more.

I feel like you got some nice images here. You just need to make the overall message clearer. Perhaps think about adding a stanza between the second and third ones that clarifies what you want to say? I hope what I said was helpful.

Thanks for the read,
Richard