
POETRY: Stations of Galaxies
Khaled Hazem Nusseibeh
Posted Jul 20, 2004 •Permalink • Printer-Friendly Version
Stations of Galaxies
I do not swear by the stations of galaxies
For a question unveils the secret of oath
Does the moon in splendor forever glimmer?
And doesn?t it from complete form recoil to a crescent?
The sun at noon with brilliance shines
But sinks in reddish orange at a distant horizon
The stars illumine a darkness of intense depth
But fade from the view of earthly life
Pyramids stoutly stand with magnificent posture
But are immensely below the nearest cloud
Abraham exclaims revolt at vanishing splendor
Affirming that God is without twilight
I do not swear by the stations of galaxies
For being is conditional on Almighty God
The tallest wave on the shore?s sand breaks
Yielding to numbers of succeeding waves
Michelangelo?s David stuns the viewing eye
Exceeded by the creations of other men of art
Both sea waves and earth bow to the Macedonian?s conquest
But death chooses to its side the finest general
Athena makes each citizen a member of the jury
But history?s indomitable verdict is that all have an end
I do not swear by the stations of galaxies
For finite life overwhelms all that lives
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