INSPIRATION

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality…. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”
Martin Luther King Jr.

Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear
By Mosab Abu Toha
For Alicia M. Quesnel, MD

When you open my ear, touch it
gently.
My mother’s voice lingers somewhere inside.
Her voice is the echo that helps recover my equilibrium
when I feel dizzy during my attentiveness.

You may encounter songs in Arabic,
poems in English I recite to myself,
or a song I chant to the chirping birds in our backyard.

When you stitch the cut, don’t forget to put all these back in my ear.
Put them back in order as you would do with books on your shelf.

The drone’s buzzing sound,
the roar of an F-16,
the screams of bombs falling on houses,
on fields, and on bodies,
of rockets flying away—
rid my small ear canal of them all.

Spray the perfume of your smiles on the incision.
Inject the song of life into my veins to wake me up.
Gently beat the drum so my mind may dance with yours,
my doctor, day and night.

Source: Poetry (March 2021)

Listen closely,
Are you listening?
There is no such thing as gentle war.
These is no peace
That can’t be flung aside.
Our only enemy is that which would
Make us enemies to each other.
Excerpt from ‘War: What, is it Good?’ by Amanda Gorman

For Earth’s Grandsons by Joy Harjo
Stand tall, no matter your height, how dark your skin
Your spirit is all colors within
You are made of the finest woven light
From the iridescent love that formed your mothers, fathers
Your grandparents all the way back on the spiral road —
There is no end to this love
It has formed your bodies
Feeds your bright spirits
And no matter what happens in these times of breaking —
No matter dictators, the heartless, and liars
No matter — you are born of those
Who kept ceremonial embers burning in their hands
All through the miles of relentless exile
those who sang the path through massacre
All the way to sunrise
You will make it through

These endure in every Age,
The transforming power of love,
The redeeming power of compassion,
The healing power of forgiveness, these endure in every age.
The joy which comes from sharing,
The strength which comes from striving, the nourishment which comes from beauty,
These endure in every age.
The sanctity of life, The value of Truth,
The primacy of Justice,
These endure in every age. The abiding worth of prayer,
The purifying promise of repentance,
The striving to know God’s will,
These endure in every age.
Grant us, 0 God, amidst relentless change, the wisdom to know and to cherish these teachings which endure for all time.
Jewish Prayer

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28