Fabi Ayyi Ala I Rabbikuma Tukazziban
Lord —
You don’t seem to care
Or do you —
People care, rally, march, protest, cry
Light candles, lay flowers, pray
To whom
To you, Lord
But what comes from their caring
Movies are made, stories written
News spreads, economies profit
Dreams form from their caring
Caring for what, Lord
Who cared when armies marched
Burning all in their path
Desecrating, destroying, razing
When fireballs fell from the skies
When the ground erupted, swallowing all that moved
The floods swept thousands away
When wild winds uprooted all that stood
Who cared, Lord
When boats and ships sank
When planes, cars, and trains crashed
When sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters
Lay sick, helpless, broken, and bleeding
Every day, somewhere today
Sure, Lord
Sickness, pain, and death are the deal
I know, Lord, that’s the deal you made
With us
But did I agree to it
Did you make this deal with us
Or with yourself
Did you give free will with this deal
To end it if we reject it
Was that the boon, Lord
What else was in the deal
The sky, earth, water, and sun
Air, and all that grows, flies, or moves
Feelings, sounds, eyes
Heart, and mind
Yes, Lord
You gave good too
Love, laughter, wonder, words
Hope
What else
Fabi ayyi ala i rabbikuma tukazziban
Lord
So much else I can’t find words for
So much you gave
That words fall short
I could count all day
And still not finish
Of course, Lord
If you say so, how can I deny it
Sometimes it seems you gave it all
But more often, I don’t see it
I don’t see what you gave us
Not to any of us
Did you keep it all for yourself
Only pretending to give it to us
What did you give to those, Lord
Burned, tortured, drowned, quartered, stoned, hung
Buried alive
And to me, Lord, what did you give
When
When I look closely
I see you forgot
To give me
Even a real me
Who could even ask
What you gave
What’s that voice, then
Fabi ayyi ala i rabbikuma tukazziban
Who are you telling
To acknowledge
All your favours, Lord
And whose voice is this, then
Just you, talking to you
Through a hollow
Absent
Me