Barren par excellence - the most crowded spot on earth!

A  moonscape of dry rock and boulder, a rubble tip of hills.

No blade of grass, twig or even cactus

just the white hot sky blaring onto the grey rocks and tarmac

the vistas of tall stone and mortar, cement, steel and glass houses

scrabbled all over the slopes in higgledy illogic.

 

How, said lady Haggar,

not even a thorn bush or camel in sight.

 

In those days, she wasn’t to be blamed for not knowing

it would take an artesian well 30,000feet to tap water at all.

 

So Abraham consulted his Lord

and received express word from Above

that this unlikely spot was, actually, spot on.

 

So he reported back to Haggar

“No, my duck, don’t worry!

my Lord, Who knows a thing or two for sure, Oks it.

so don’t be deterred by seemings.

reason doesn’t always answer all;

faith - as well as fate, is the name of the trip we’re on.

So be a sport, stop flapping (clutching/speculating…)

and swallow your (false) pride!  Jettison (pseudo) hope!

There is nothing to lose in this game but loss itself…”! etc

Haggar, being a smart lass

as most underdogs, second wives, slaves are wont

had the guts, the Zenish perspicacity to see the point

and effect it - hey presto!

jumping off the deep end promptly, with kamikaze grace.

 

At which very next instant.. whoosh! Whoooosh!

Whatever was that?

A hurricane?

A mountain falling down?

An example of timely cosmic timing for sure!

or

could it be

Archangel wings?

Gabriel himself

with his mighty laser wings of light

touching the dry ground there, by ZemZem

so the wonder drink burst forth

to this day a source of life and hope

a sign, in that dead land.

 

 

 

 

Aug 1985