The Land

Humans, I learned, are last

In the chain of wishes, the land

Comes first

Blood and promises, the land

Comes first

Not a playground for children

Not a dancing floor

Neither a garden nor a song

But a tomb for all

They could have been friends

A family

They could have shared the temple

Even divided, God would have blessed them

But the land came first

With its thorns and cliffs

The land came first

With its deep ravines, its quicksand

Not a children’s playground

Not a dancing floor

Neither a garden nor a song

But a tomb for all

Humans, I learned, are last

In the chain of wishes, the land.