"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem."
This it says in the Psalm.
And so, every day, I pray,
"Let there be peace in this land
That You claimed as Your own.
Let there be kindness
Among Moslem and Christian and Jew,
All the children of Abraham.
Take away their hatred, Lord.
Let them dwell peacefully together
In Your Holy Land."
And still the killing goes on.
Still the bombs explode in buses;
Still the troops fire into villages;
Still they die, women, children,
Men of all ages; still they die.
None are safe in their homes,
None in their churches,
Mosques or synagogues.
"God, why don't You make it stop?"
And a clear, calm, quiet voice says,
"My thoughts are not your thoughts."
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem."
And so, incessantly I pray,
"No more, Lord, no more!"
And still bombs are strapped to bodies'
Still guns are fired into camps of refugees;
Still men take sanctuary in churches,
And still churches are besieged.
Still feasts are turned to wakes;
Still women mourn their children
And children their parents,
Their brothers, their sisters, their friends.
"Lord, how can You let this go on?
This is insanity. This is slaughter
Without meaning, without honor,
Without dignity for the living or the dead.
Bodies pile up in the streets
Of Jerusalem, Haifa,
Of Bethlehem Ramallah, Jenin.
Make it stop. God, please, make it stop."
"My thoughts are not your thoughts."
And so I go on praying,
Day by day, week by week,
Year by year, I pray;
I pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
