Mate, as you reside beneath the soil in Shaar Hashomayim,
the globe remains embroiled in a battle against compassion.
If hopelessness has a foundation
buried under the dust at Heaven’s Door,
you’ve plunged into that tumultuous landslide once more.
The only triumph achievable
is the heart’s conquest over its
own propensities for vengeance and hostility.
Below the intertwined hearts and trees,
the blooms droop, the blossoms lament
for households interred by explosives.
Tonight, I caught your muted utterance,
in the midst of profound obscurity:
Sacred is the recollection of all children.
(In tribute to Leonard Cohen on his ninetieth birthday)
John MacKenna’s latest works include Absent Friend, a reminiscence of his comradeship with Leonard Cohen; and Father, Son and Brother Ghost, both issued by The Harvest Press.