A LOVE POEM TO JERUSALEM

 

I am writing a poem to you

Jerusalem the Beautiful

Wondering if it’s possible

That when God created you

He knew

I would fall in love with you

The moment I saw you

Forty-five years ago

 

Did he plant you in my dreams to create

A longing, an ache

For a place I’d never seen?

Until I was compelled to come to you

And walked your streets with such familiarity

That it must be

We’ve known each other for centuries

Perhaps for Eternity

 

Once, strangely, I saw me

Running in front of me

Wearing a white linen garment

Disappearing round a corner

In the Armenian Quarter…

 

Did God create your stones and gates

Your flowers and trees especially for me?

Knowing then

I would be inspired to paint them

Did he create your sweet clear air

To intoxicate me?

 

Often I am certain he is next to me

As I skip down the streets

Pleased with my elation

At the beauty of his creation

In the Spring especially

As my eyes bless the blossoms

Of the almond trees

And marvel at the carpets

Of wild flowers

And dance in the rain

For endless hours

 

My heart beats in tandem

To your heart’s rhythm

Jerusalem

My soul belongs to you

Now, at sixty-two

I am even more in awe of you

 

In the entire history

Of this exquisite City

I am absolutely certain

No one has loved you

More than I do