| I
am thankful for palm trees,
hummus,
tabouleh, and dates,
for
the glorious Arabic foods
Earth
invites us to partake.
I
am thankful for Arabic
and
my Arabic teacher Mr. Nazal,
and
the 100 Arabic words,
for
lion, camel, and cow!
I
am thankful for the desert sands
and
the earthy Bedouin ways,
for
nomadic tents, and campfire scents,
for
the ancient Arabic days.
I
am thankful for the call to prayer,
a
poignant reminder from Allah,
to
bow and revere--whatever it takes--
to
honor God’s compelling Law.
I
am thankful for Arabic women
beneath
whose veils wisdom reigns,
oh,
those mysterious onyx eyes,
uncorrupted
by glamour or fame.
I
am thankful for young men named Muhammad,
who
remind us of the Prophet from the past,
their
strength and regal character
uphold
Islam to the very last.
I
am thankful for Muslim friends here
who
reach out with loving hands,
to
bless me with their generous ways
and
show me the beauty of these desert lands.
I
am thankful for the Hindis too,
the
ones who help me each day,
I
couldn’t really manage without them
they
help me in a zillion different ways.
I
am thankful for our Great God,
creator
of the radiant Universe,
and
for all the suns, moons, and stars,
the
Divine One brought forth in a burst.
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I
am thankful for Lady Dove
who
coos and flutters each morn,
she
teaches me gentle patience,
yes
with time hopes can hatch into form.
I
am thankful for earthy smells
of
frankincense, bkhour, and myrrh,
pungent
aromas pervading the air
lest
genies and djinn should appear.
I
am thankful for wadis and oasis
where
liquid springs are magically clear,
ah,
the taste of pure water in the desert,
nothing
on Earth is so precious and dear!
I
am thankful for memories of Egypt,
some
great moments never die—
of
Hatem and I riding a camel named Moses,
of
the ancient falcon Horus’ protective eye.
I
am thankful for Sinai’s bedouin children
with
sand and dirt on their face,
while
I ride a camel named Marzouk,
little
Lemmie runs alongside in a race.
I
am thankful for the Sinai
where
the real Moses once did walk,
such
an incredibly holy place,
I
can scarcely find the words to talk.
I
am thankful for Judaism,
the
Sinai’s source of all that’s great,
for
prophets, psalms and covenants
for
words like Bashirt, Kizmit,
and fate.
I
am thankful for Coptic Christians
who
keep alive the Christian faith
awesome
icons of Jesus and Mary
tell
us that paradise is well worth the wait.
I
am thankful for salaam
the
Arabic word for peace,
and
for all the worldwide prayers,
that
pray for wars to cease.
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