Israel

Israel II

we could see everything there—every crazy thing
until there was was nothing left to look at
except the exquisite desert itself:
pure blue sky
indigo night
purple rock and red sand
no clutter, no obstructions

land wrapped around its people so tightly it has become their skin
they cannot leave
even if they go

G-d ambles back and forth across
the manganese blue kineret
all day long—enjoying the

golan gardens that Marla made herself

land wrapped around people so tightly is has become their skin
they cannot leave
even if they go

out of that land of red wrapped cow chocolates

jerusalem light
city of gold and pink and mauve and white

the sound of the zils
and the beggars
and the solitary violin playing in the square of the old city

the tremors in tear washed faces caused by
centuries of prayer vibrating in that Wall,

as we lay our cheeks against Jerusalem stone
and stuff our little scaps of prayer into its crevices
hoping ours will not fall helplessly onto the ground with those wet and dirty supplications shredding
into nothing

land wrapped around us so tightly it has become our skin
we cannot leave
even when
we go

~Viola Moriarty

(For an online gallery of complete works for this series, please click on the link to the left.)