OUR HEARTS ARE IN THE EAST

We are there now
in Eretz Israel, where our hearts
are deeply rooted in ancient soil
Our homeland, filled now with such suffering
It hangs in the air: curtains of pain,
of longing for all that has been lost
Curtains that separate what was from what is
So many loved ones murdered; gone forever
So many stolen; for them, there still is hope
Security; jobs; pleasure; joy; trust; expectations
Shalom, within and outside of us
Gone
Now, in our homeland,
no sleep can “knit up the raveled sleeve of care”*
In this nightmare, there is no rest or respite
From this nightmare, we cannot wake
How will it end?
Will Shalom ever return?

*Spoken by Shakespeare’s Scottish king, Macbeth

-Debbie Troner