Israel, Holy Land
Of beauty and grace,
You possess every gift
Upon the earth’s face,
No matter how parched
Your soil seems to be
From the dusty land flourish,
Dazzling flora and trees,
Charcoal-colored birds
With yellow
Wadjet-framed eyes,
And luminescent-hued doves
Take to the skies,
Self-reliant children
Ride buses
To school on their own,
Play with reckless abandon
On the streets
By their homes;
You won’t hear rap music
Or see much graffiti
Or see people walking
Fearfully
Late at night; on the streets
People and families
Socialize in safety,
Come and go, as they please.
The joyful, gentle music you hear
Through the neighborhood
Means that the Sabbath draws near,
Chimes peal
When 15 minutes remain
To light candles,
Greet contentment,
From all work, abstain.
People ask for help freely,
Step forward,
Get involved,
They care for each other
Until things are resolved,
There are many various,
Social, and religious views,
But these differences
Don’t cause hatred towards you;
Accents and faces
From every country
You can name,
Each a unique component,
Yet, all one and the same,
You have rich and poor
Fringes,
But most find their way
To the middle;
If you have a job,
It’ll all be okay.
The road rises
Through citied valleys
And meadows
To Jerusalem,
The world’s cornerstone,
From where all blessing flows.
Approaching the city,
All worries cease,
A sign welcomes you
Saying: “Shalom,
Go in peace.”
When you pray at the Kotel,
Hashem’s presence is clear
Telling your soul
“I’m listening, I’m here.”
I love you, Israel,
Here, I always feel blessed,
Privileged to be
In G-d’s Holy Land;
Here my heart has found rest.
By Sharon Marcus
