Sacrifice

Daughter of Jihad
your mother sits now
and wails
letting her tears fall
onto the 30 pieces of silver
strewn across her kitchen table
the reward for letting you be led
by men
who called you their sister
and then sacrificed you
to death. Led you
like a lamb to suffer
the vengeance of God,
as surely you will.
She cannot lay coins upon your eyes or
kiss your fingers or
smooth your hair
as she once did.
She cannot look into your eyes and
visualize the children
that might have been.
She wonders of that other mother.
Mother of the innocent girl,
unsuspecting her sudden
leap to oblivion.
Does her mother weep; does she wail?
Has she rent her clothing,
is her head covered in ashes?
The ashes of her beloved daughter.

Both mothers
given to silence
as silent as their martyred daughters.
Perhaps, the kitchen could have been
the meeting ground.
The aroma of sweet Arabic coffee
would float in the air. Honey cake,
shared.
The daughter of Jihad and the daughter of David
would settle the dust, remove the rubble. Make
peace.
Instead, both daughters have only become memories,
photographs on the wall
in their mother's kitchens.

Carol Greenberg
Narberth, PA

Ghazi Algosaibi, the Saudi Arabia Ambassador to Britain wrote a poem praising the Arab woman who recently blew herself up at a supermarket in Jerusalem, killing an 18 year-old Israeli girl. His poem has gained importance in the Arab and Anti-Semitic world. This is my reaction to his poem.

© 2002 Women In Judaism Inc.
www.utoronto.ca/wjudaism/	this page last updated on: 7/23/02