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Poem: A Pilgrim's Peace in the Middle East
A Pilgrim’s Peace in the Middle East [*]
By Genevieve Cora Fraser
In Syria-Palestine
Flared beakers
Poured
forth
A Pilgrim’s hope
Awaiting
travelers
Journeying to Jerusalem
Before
Mohammad
Rose to stand
Make his point
In the
triumvirate
Of Monotheism
Before Islam
Glass
blowers
Mastered molds
In Jewish and
Christian
Symbols Shofars
Blown in amber relief
Crosses protruded
In prominent position
On golden
iridescence
Melding into olive
Jugs filled with holy
oil
In the center of a hexagon face
Predating the
Star of David
A Menorah marks
The days of
creation
Sacred to all who live
Under one Creator
United in a common
Humanity free
Blown
glass
Sand ground
Fine as the dust
Of time fired
into hues
Blues and purples
Gold and greens
Bottled
into sturdy
Squares and hexagons
Exquisite
octagons
Stand in silent homage
In a display of the
many
Sided face of belief
In a better
world
* Inspired by
the Pilgrim flasks, the jugs and bottles that stand in
silent tribute to the Christians and Jews who journeyed to
Jerusalem between 400 – 600 AD, on display in a plexiglas
case at the LA County Museum of Art’s Department of Ancient
and Islamic
Art.
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