The Night Before Ramadan
by Peter L. Alcivar with Dave McCabe
'Twas the night before Ramadan,
And all through the cave,
Not a creature was stirring,
Not even a slave.
The turbans were hung
On stalagmites with care,
In hopes that The Prophet
Soon would be there.
The crab lice were snoring,
All snug in their beds,
Bin Laden was itching,
And scratching his head.
Then down from the sky,
There came such a thunder,
I squinted my eyes,
To find a rock to hide under.
Then up on the rocktop,
There came such a clatter,
I sent one of the women,
To see what was the matter.
When what to her wondering
Eyes did appear,
But miniature bomblets,
That ate at my fear.
The F-15 Eagles
Screamed 'cross the sky,
Dropping their payloads,
Both far and nigh.
With pilots all eagle-eyed,
Recently trained,
And down the bombs came,
How precisely they rained.
On Eagle! On Falcon! On Predator! Harrier!
On B-1! B-52! Jaguar! Sidewinder!
Down with the Taliban!
Down with bin Laden!
Down with the terrorists,
Snakes in the garden!
They ran for the mountains,
They ran for the caves,
They hid in the shadows,
They dug their own graves.
But it isn't the weapons
That give us our might
But the knowledge that we
Had to do what is right.
And folks the world over
Woke up in discovering
That hate and intolerance
Cause misery and suffering.
And they all joined together
If just for one day
To reflect and remember
On those gone away.
And I wish I could say
That the tale ended here
But the sad truth is
Sorrow shall yet reappear
Forever where violence
Its ugly head rears.
So I leave with this thought
Keep it close to your heart
Carry it with you
Wherever thou art:
If we treat all as brothers,
And attend to their needs,
Regardless of colors,
Regardless of creeds,
Perhaps we will see
What today is a dream.
And then we may all
In one voice recite,
Happy (Christmas/Chanukkah/Ramadan/Kwaanza/Solstice, etc.) to all,
And to all a good night! |
