Subj: The Promise Land

i'm on a new (for me) list serv and the thread's headed towards the middle-east. i'm right, no i'm right, no i'm right, etc. lots of emotion. lots of opinion. and all i know is that it is very complicated and even though i semi-keep up with the news, i'm no scholar and i'm no expert. i just wish there was peace and some kindness. and that sounds trite, but i don't mean it that way.

the below poem was a response to the thread. i don't think the author meant it as a poem, but i liked it very much and he gave permission for it to appear here. and here you are.

(Subj: The Promise Land)

The promised land is everywhere, and nowhere.
It is in the heart of those who hold it.
It is not real estate.
It has never been real estate.
To hold the view that it is any certain place is an error.

There is a fundamental misunderstanding,
a confusion of the wisdom-
which issues from ethnic creation myths,
the world around.
The chosen people...and their promised land.

Here where I am, the promised land where sits this house.
Was once the Comanchera...
those beautiful human beings, and others
who lived on this land....(noone knows how long)
given them by their creator (in the beginning)
are gone.
They fought like noone ever fought
making fools of the pony soldiers
until they were so few (the blue soldiers came like winter snow)
so few that they quit
and said enough,
though they were never defeated.

Sometimes you just say enough.

— Mike Rubey

overheards

marya [with mouth full of candy]: i know, i know, i've been laggin'.
jaxon: who's that? the brother of bin ladin? bin laggin?