The Tears of Lebanon
He wasn't anyone particular. No better, no worse.
He wasn't particularly brave, nor pure, not rich nor poor.
But when he died on the street his blood pooled into an ocean.
And his spirit remained standing even as people stared in shock.
He stood with his brother, he stood with his wife.
Standing with each other over bodies limp, without life.
Rich ones, poor ones, innocents, body guards.
His son, his daughter, his wife, some friends.
Children's blood and elders;
Their blood ran together in pools on the ground,
and cried out for something. Revenge? No not that!
They stood and beheld the mess that had become their legacy.
And the blood gave them life to stand and cry.
He cried, she cried, they cried together
And somehow they realized there had to be something different.
They cried for a long time, their tears watering the ground.
Their tears created oceans, and salt crystal boats to cross them.
Their tears became jewelled glass windows and water to wash them.
And their tears reached across the years, to heal many wounds.
To put flesh to bones, to send hands out of graves.
To comfort brave children to put fear into knaves.
Their tears became a source of joy.
And something the Men in their helmets could not fight.
How can one kill something that cannot die?
One can kill a body, you can blow up a crowd,
One can car bomb a street corner, you can carpet-bomb a city,
But one can't kill an idea whose time has come,
Not if the one who is charged with the task is crying too.
Has the slaughter become enough to satisfy the ground?
The blood fertilized the fields of death.
And the tears washed away the stains.
And purple flowers bloomed while weeds just died.
The spirits of the dead do live in our Consciences.
Said the Voice hearer:
"Oh those were words I longed to hear,
while hearing many an angry and frustrated sigh,
Or prayers directed to the Great Ineffable one on high,
And tears that dropped to the ground.
I did not hear them."
A Voice said to those who wanted to fight:
"Keep fighting! Spill blood! Poison the earth!
Cleanse the world of your enemies and in the process you die!
Kill in the name of God! I thirst for blood!
Kill the "infidels" -- break mirrors over their heads.
You think you are following me, well you are!
I am not satisfied yet that you understand.
I do not think you will understand,
until you have cleansed each other from throughout the land."
And the Voice Hearer said to God:
"This must be some devil who is talking to me.
A Just god, A Good God, would not do these things!"
And the Voice said:
"I am what I am.
I do not do what you say."
And the Voice Hearer said:
"Will you stop when you are satisfied?"
And the Voice said:
"I am never satisfied.
I am a spirit of hunger."
And the Voice Hearer said:
"The blood doesn't feed you.
We are walking on their shoulders.
And the Voice said:
"Whose shoulders?"
The Voice Hearer replied:
"The shoulders of people who were better than you!
You demand blood from short lived Creatures --
and give nothing in return!"
And the Voice said:
"Ayi! Ayi!"
And he added his voice to the wailing of the spirits.
His tears cleansed the earth.
His people were reborn
and so was he.
Chris
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Posted by cholte at March 2, 2005 04:55 PM