A Poem for King David

Hello Poetry Lovers,

As I am certain you already know, our ancestor King David was, among many other things, a psalmist, a poet.  The psalms have guided Jews and Christians alike, across the centuries. The wisdom is as palpalable today as it was thousands of years ago. As I consider the terrible rising tide a Anti-Zionism, which is another expression of the curse of Anti-Semitism, as well as the growing marginalization and isolation of Israel, I cannot but note how King David addressed a situation closely akin to what we face today.  For your consideration, I offer Psalm 129:

Psalm 129

A SONG OF ASCENTS

1 “They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,”
    let Israel say;

2 “they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
    but they have not gained the victory over me.

3 Plowmen have plowed my back
    and made their furrows long.

4 But the Lord is righteous;
    he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.”

5 May all who hate Zion
    be turned back in shame.

6 May they be like grass on the roof,
    which withers before it can grow;

7 a reaper cannot fill his hands with it,
    nor one who gathers fill his arms.

8 May those who pass by not say to them,
    “The blessing of the Lord be on you;
    we bless you in the name of the Lord.”

We have faced hate and discrimination from time immemorial. And we have survived.

Thank you for clicking in.  xo Judy

Read more: The Jewish Chronicle - entry A POEM FROM KING DAVID