Salms Perhaps

Salm 1: groves

& he shall be like a tree

planted by the rivers of water

that bringeth forth his fruit in his season

his leaf shall not wither

 

& who of the chosen

shall come among us

and burn our olive orchards

& bring the axe to our lemon groves

 

& who among the chosen

thereafter will drive us from our houses

& slaughter our flocks

& why o lord were they chosen

selah

 

Salm 2: heathens

ask of me 

& I shall give thee the heathen 

for thine inheritance

and the uttermost parts 

of the earth for thy possession

 

& when the one shall say

between the Jordan River 

& the Mediterranean Sea 

there will be only one state

which is Israel 

 

the other will say

from the river to the sea

& the kings of the earth

claim them as the heathen

& why do the heathen rage

selah

 

Salm 5: holiness

for there is no faithfulness in their mouth

their inward part is very wickedness

their throat is an open sepulchre

they flatter with their tongue

 

you shall be given weapons

but you shall not use them

they opened the doors to war

are they not hiding behind infants

 

are they not living in holes in the ground

are we not alive that we must endure hatred

are we not living in righteousness

are we not dwelling in holiness

 

there can be no comfort

lamentation & sorrow for them

in the darkness of the night

there can be no return

selah

 

Salm 7: lament

Lest he tear my soul 

like a lion rending it in pieces

while there is none to deliver

 

torn is my wife, my husband

torn is my mother, my father

torn is my son, my daughter

 

torn is my brother, torn is my sister

my uncle torn

my aunt torn

 

torn is my cousin, my grandmother

torn is my grandfather, torn is my love

torn is my light, there is none to deliver

 

selah. torn is my life, 

there is 

none to deliver

 

Salm 8: strength

out of the mouths of babes & sucklings

hast thou ordained strength

 

who will still the enemy

who will still the avenger

 

who will bring peace

who will bring justice

selah

 

Salm 9: cities

o thou enemy

destructions are come

to a perpetual end

and thou hast destroyed cities

 

& in the cities the hospitals 

become spit & mud

& the schools

become burned books

 

& the stations 

become twisted steel

& the museums 

shards of shards

 

& the churches & mosques

ashes of prophets

their memorial

is perished          selah

 

Salm 11: silence

how say ye to my soul

flee as a bird

to your mountain

 

where is only the silence of doves

to your cedars

where is only splinters

 

to your wells

where is only brack & salt

saleh

 

Salm 12: rubric

the wicked walk on every side

when the vilest men are exalted

 

whose name in tongues

is the talent of god

 

whose name is called

world ruler

 

& who is cried 

great teacher

 

salm 13:

how long shall mine enemy

be exalted over me

 

as long as there is money

sent to the corrupt

 

as long as arms 

are sold in usury

 

as long as law makers

hold fear in their hearts

 

of the poor & the humble

of the childless mother

 

since they are numberless

they are strong in love

 

as the moon waxes

so does their strength

 

after the moon

the day will come

selah

 

Comments (3)

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  1. Edward Andrews says:

    Amen

  2. Rachel Findlay says:

    Beautiful. I read all the Psalms one a day a while back. You have captured that sense of human desolation expressed in of many of them and their rhythms IMO.
    Thank you.

    1. Alasdair Macdonald says:

      Yes, I agree. The tone and sense of the psalms has been captured in these present day poems.

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