Shadows on the Land

May shadows on the land
be cast by soccer balls and children,
not bombs and billowing smoke.

Instead, let smoke rise
from sacrificial fires
that purify, not destroy.

Replace the acrid smells
of burning flesh and steel
with incense and smudgepots.

May the clotted blood and putrid flesh
in the gutters and sewers be cleansed
by the mercy of the life giving rains.

Rains flowing like tears
of separation and joy
upon the wounded earth.