Posts Tagged ‘protest’

 

Psalms of Protest 7 to 10

Posted on: August 11th, 2018 by Alden

Sunday is the first anniversary of the neo-Nazi “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va, which is the impetus behind Psalm of Protest 7. Psalm of Protest 10 reflects the structure of the Ashrei, with an acrostic as the core stanza. Here are links to Psalms of Protest 1, 2 and 3 and Psalms of Protest 4, 5 and 6.

Bigots in the Streets: Psalm of Protest 7
A psalm of protest,
Sung at the gates of decency,
When bigots stalk the streets,
When racism is flaunted in the public square
And hatred is embraced in the courtyards of power.
Open, you gates!
Let virtue and civility pour forth
To drown the voices of malice and rancor,
To flood the hearts of bitterness
With love, tolerance and understanding.
Let the voice of unity
Find purchase in the hearts of racists and fanatics.
Let decency flow forth like living waters,
To heal the heart of hatred.

Cruel Oppression: Psalm of Protest 8
A psalm of protest,
Sung at the gates of mercy,
When callousness pursues the helpless
And cruelty is cloaked in righteousness.
Open, you gates!
Open to the cries of the oppressed,
The immigrant, the refugee,
The hungry and the orphaned.
Bereft by the hands of governments,
Despots and their ministers,
Bereft by war and violence,
Abandoned and despairing.
Open, you gates!
Let mercy flow forth like living waters,
To heal the heart of misery.

Sexual Abuse by Political Leaders: Psalm of Protest 9
A psalm of protest,
Sung at the gates of virtue,
When leaders assault women
And accuse their victims of immorality,
When legislators grope boys
And blame their prey of deceit,
When presidents mock the molested and their advocates.
Open you gates!
Open to the cries of the abused,
Open to the cries of the injured and the scorned,
Traumatized by the leaders of governments,
Traumatized by the heads of colleges, universities and schools,
Traumatized by the stewards of religious institutions.
Open you gates!
Let virtue flow forth like living waters,
To wash away rape, abuse and sexual assault.

To Battle Injustice: Psalm of Protest 10
Happy are the ones who battle injustice,
For whom the world sings praises.
Happy are the ones who stand united,
Their voices become a trumpet of truth.

A psalm of protest.
Admonish the ruler who misuses power.
Beset an evil government with judgment.
Call the people to the streets.
Dispatch the brave and the free in cries of protest.
Entreat the spirit of mercy.
Forge a sword of truth.
Grievance is your staff and
Honesty is your shield.
Injustice will shatter like pounded rock.
Joy and hope will grow roots in its place.
Keep yourself true,
Letting neither anger nor vengeance become your cause.
Make not an ally of violence,
Nor a friend of hatred.
Open your heart to all.
Protect the innocent,
Quiet the hearts of the victims,
Restore kindness to our nation.
Speak out, speak out.
Tomorrow rise to speak out, again.
Until all of us are free from tyranny, free from the
Vulgarity of power abused.
Your voices raised, Your feet marching, to the
Zenith of tikkun olam.

Happy are the ones who battle injustice.
For their hearts will be sanctified in heaven
And remembered on earth.

© 2018 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

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Postscript: These Psalms of Protest combine the unique form and language of the Psalmist with the prophetic voice crying out for justice. Psalms often build upon one another, expanding or focusing a theme, which is true for this series, as well. As a result, I’m posting these works in groups.

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Source: Social Justice Quotes

Psalms of Protest 4, 5 and 6

Posted on: July 21st, 2018 by Alden

The second set of three in a new series, “Psalms of Protest.” This set — posted for Tisha b’Av 2018 — begin with the echo of lamentations. Those who are familiar with the news in both Israel and the U.S. will hear allusions to controversies in both nations. I’m posting these works in groups. Here are links to Psalms of Protest 1, 2 and 3.

Abuse of Power: Psalm of Protest 4
A psalm of protest,
Before broken towers of liberty,
Sung in ashes and sackcloth,
When presidents embrace strongmen,
And prime ministers sanction hatred,
When politicians defile history,
And leaders oppress the outcast.
Oh broken trust!
Oh fractured promise!
How will we rebuild the halls of freedom?
How will we restore the courts of justice?
Deliver us from oppression and tyranny,
From leaders who forget the past and ignore the future.
Let the upright rise to lead,
And the sound of joy replace these cries.

Abuse of Trust: Psalm of Protest 5
A psalm of protest,
Before the broken gates of conscience,
Sung in ashes and sackcloth,
When lies are held as truth,
And citizens go blind before despots,
When judges are appointed to oppress,
And police do the bidding of clerics.
Oh twisted logic!
Oh reign of deceit!
How will we walk the path to renewal,
Cluttered with the remnants of trust?
How will we walk the path to peace,
Cluttered with the ruins of treachery?
Deliver us from the captains of war,
From leaders who rewrite the past and destroy the future.
Let the upright rise to lead,
And the sound of joy replace these lamentations.

Restore Justice: Psalm of Protest 6
A psalm of protest,
Sung to God.
When villains rose up to destroy justice,
You drove them out like a plague upon Your land.
When evil forces rose to ensnare the nation,
You cast them in a pit.
When deceit rose up to conquer truth,
You cut the chords of dishonesty
And silenced the voice of falsehood.
How long will false leaders mock Your law?
How long will princes and potentates,
Prime ministers and presidents,
Defy Your will?
How long with corrupt judges and officers of the court,
Bid in secret with duplicity and infidelity?
How long will the innocent by subjugated?
Praise to You,
The One who restores justice,
Establishes mercy,
Frees the captive and
Brings low the haughty.
Strip treachery from the halls of power,
And cast your shelter upon the earth.

© 2018 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

New here? Subscribe here to get my newest prayers by email.
Share the prayer! Email this to a friend.

Postscript: These Psalms of Protest combine the unique form and language of the Psalmist with the prophetic voice crying out for justice.

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Source: Alden Solovy

Psalms of Protest: 1, 2 and 3

Posted on: July 1st, 2018 by Alden

The first three of a new series, “Psalms of Protest.” In both of my countries, Israel and the United States, self-interested governments attack democracy and decency. These Psalms of Protest combine the unique form and language of the Psalmist with the prophetic voice crying out for justice. Psalms often build upon one another, expanding or focusing a theme, which is true for this series, as well. As a result, I plan to post these works in groups.

Children, Detained: Psalm of Protest 1
A psalm of protest,
When children are stripped from their parents’ arms,
When refugees are jailed as criminals.
How long, G-d of justice?
How long will arrogance strike with impunity,
Attacking the heart of innocence?
They are like ten-thousand bees stinging the eyes,
Relentless with violence.
They are like ten-thousand nettles piercing the skin,
Relentless with hatred and without remorse.
Let the arrogant be brought low.
Let the wicked repent.
Let righteousness heal these wounds
And set the captives free.

Free the Captive: Psalm of Protest 2
A psalm of protest,
When tyranny mocks justice,
And the halls of power are painted with bitterness.
Let the righteous rail against cruelty and deceit
So that their voices echo across the land,
So that their footsteps shake the foundations of contempt,
So that their deeds unseat wickedness from the chambers of power.
The land will tremble, the seas will shake,
The heavens will thunder, while the winds split the sky,
Demanding release of the captive
And due process for the enslaved.
Demanding honesty and truth
From governments and leaders,
So that G-d’s word will shine
Even in the hardest hearts of our leaders.

When a New Pharaoh Arises: Psalm of Protest 3
A psalm of memory,
When a new Pharaoh arises.
Do you remember how Pharaoh despised the children?
How he commanded that they be ripped from their mother’s arms and destroyed?
How he used babes to subjugate a people and undo a nation?
Remember, too, how a few brave midwives subverted Pharaoh’s plans.
Remember, too, how arduous is the work of freedom.
For Pharaoh has a heart of stone,
And he hardens the hearts of all who serve him
With treachery and deceit,
With fear and disdain.
But you have a heart of flesh,
And the spirit of G-d’s justice,
To be like Moses and Miriam,
Like Aaron and Joshua,
Like Shifra and Puah,
To unseat the reign of tyranny.

© 2018 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

New here? Subscribe here to get my newest prayers by email.
Share the prayer! Email this to a friend.

Postscript: These Psalms are a break from my general approach of staying apolitical in writing prayers. Less than 20 of my 700 pieces of liturgy reflect explicit political views, and most of those have been written since the previous U.S. presidential election. I suspect, that I’ll lose some readers as a result of posting these pieces. It is a writer’s job to speak out.

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

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