Peace Be Upon You
...and upon you be peace
Peace Be Upon You Wherever we went, upon entry through any door, into any room, when greeting any friend or stranger, we pronounced our wishes for peace, bidding our tongues in blessing al salamu alaykum— peace be upon you the other greeting us in kind w alaykum al salam— and upon you be peace. If you know the person it turns into a whole affair. Held hands and three successive cheek kisses, or else a graciously placed hand over your heart. Departures are of the same manner; kisses, handshakes, hands over hearts, peace announced on our lips, over and over, reminded of our safe place among each other. And though my heritage is nuanced beyond any romanticized ideal, a complex culture like any other with its sure detractors, I cannot deny the intention of it, how affluent our language is in its poetry, how sincere we are when we say it, so that every where I go now I am blessing every being I meet. The warbler, the nocturnal raccoon, the aspen and the cedar, the supposed enemy on my screen, clouds, rivers, unseen spirits, you the reader, all my relations— al salamu alaykum I am saying, kissing the wind, waving this world towards my chest peace be upon you and if I listen closely, I can hear the reply sing back through the ruins— and upon you be peace and upon you be peace! - Moudi Sbeity
Oh, so beautiful Moudi! One of my most beloved aspects of grocery shopping in the town where I live is greeting my Muslim neighbors with al salamu alaykum. You capture this intention so beautifully, while also including the nuances in our many cultures that hold ruptures as well as the desire for peace. Thank you for writing this poem - how our hearts need it now.
Where I live I greet the shopkeepers and my neighbours with Salaam alaykum. It is a powerful invocation.