-- for Beverly Vallejo-Sanderson --
“Give in, or we shall work no more!”
The builders proffered their request –
a plea the priests could not ignore.
The Babylonians were sorely
pressed.
Some chief proposed a seventh day.
They laughed, supposing it a jest.
“No, really! Think! A time to play,
to spend with loved ones, laugh and pray
and clean the nest!”
Some decades later, Moses sighed,
exhaustion heaving from his chest:
“Dear Sir, today we almost died.
We cannot take another stride.
Just look from east to west!”
The sojourners of Israel
were losing stamina and zest.
“A seventh day will help them heal,
return them to their hope and zeal.”
So Yahweh to himself confessed.
Fast forward to our present time.
24/7? We’ve regressed.
Up Sinai do we climb, climb, climb.
To pause is a malicious crime!
We’ve disavowed the sanctity of rest.