What Can I Say?
For adherents of the Islamic faith, one sorrow following another
Seems like maddening waves dashing against the shore.
The other side of the world, though so far from us
Has seen wars for years, tearing apart living communities,
Their homeland, now a wasteland of rubble.
And on this new side where the bell of freedom rings
Senseless violence wipes generations off the face of the earth.
What to say about the trembling hearts of women, men and children,
Who bear Kuranic names and follow the guidelines of peace?
What can I do Lord other than throwing my arms towards you
Crying, “Help me to still, hold on to the peace, that issues
From none other than you”.
Vasanti
March 15 2019 in response to the massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Read at Petaluma’s Islamic Center’s Solidarity Day March 24.