Rights of Passage . .

You flowers of El

who live in this ancient passageway,

in a wilderness through which every man has passed,

spreading like a plague across the face of a naive earth,

forging new religions and theocracies;

chains to restrain

what otherwise blossoms free.

Navigation is by night skies here,

both on land and sea,

and you willingly share of the stars,

but not the dirt shaken from your feet.

Christian beware!

The land of Christ is not yours.

Moses parted seas and nations to come here,

leading his tribe into the promised land;

promised by G-d

to His chosen ones . . . to the exclusion of all others?

Jew beware!

The promised land is yours, only to share.

Formed from the same star dust.

Believers in the same imaginary friend.

How can dust rule dust I cry!

But when my tears fall,

they fall, not on dust,
but on lives that are hate-baked;

forming religions from otherwise seamless lives.

Muslim beware!

You too must share.

This is a land that can be possessed . . . 
only as a night sky can widen your mind, 
only as an idea can show you the way,
only as love can illuminate, and guide you through.

In this land 

we can only have rights of passage.

©Copyright Niall OConnor 2012