Psalm of Palestine
The Lamentation
The gold dome shines in the morning sun,
but the wailing and the weeping goes on;
the call to prayer mourns amidst the bombs —
the martyrs are rising one by one.
Soldiers rejoicing when the sniper’s bullet
is a clean shot to a child’s head;
who is buried on the side of the road.
Palestine bears witness to soulless oppressors
committing atrocities to a world’s audience;
praying in synagogues with vipers tongues
while hearts filled with faith and Allah
knows there is peace beyond,
a place for babies and children
held in loving angels arms.
The Malediction
May God turn his rage against the human beasts
and let them tremble and shake at night.
Let their children fear that sleep may turn into death
and their hunger into pain.
Oh God, let them see their houses plowed into dust,
while the “others” smile and shake their heads,
let Al Aqsa rise again from the temple grounds
and the wailing wall be torn down.
May their mothers wail in mortal terror
thinking of joyful days gone by —
You, God, will turn their rejoicing into tears
their dancing to prostration, and their abundance into want.
The Praise
Praise God for His justice ever rolling into lands of cruelty
praise God in the darkness of persecution
for His secret place in humanity
praise God when what was lost will now be found
within His Holy Lands.