Forgive us
Creator of Heaven and Earth
For what we have done
To your blue Heaven.
Forgive us for making
Your white clouds
Once messengers of life-giving
Rain to refresh
Earth and its Creatures
Into gas chamber
showerheads
spewing liquid poison
To burn the earth
the flowers, the trees
the little plants in your
rivers and oceans.

Forgive us
Creator of Heaven and Earth
For what we have done
To your clear pure waters
Once splashing with happy creatures
Forgive us for making them
Into overflowing cesspools
Forgive us
Creator of Heaven and Earth
Forgive us for searing
Your earth with toxins
To force from her gifts she
gave us so generously.
Your earth of green hills
Once sweet with flowers
Trees looking at You

Your earth of
beautiful animals
birds who sang Your praises
As they hopped from branch to branch.
Animals used to run
On the green hills
Roll in the lush green fields
Frolic with the children

Forgive us
Creator of Heaven and Earth
For what we have done to Your Earth.
Forgive us for making earth
a charnelhouse of bones and blood.
A crematorium.

The blood and bones of
animals
tortured for sport
for profit
Eyes burned
Brains smashed

The bones of humans
Murdered by tyrants.
The bones of children
Withered
by hunger

The blood of young men
Sent to kill each other.
The blood of women
mutilated torn
Bones crushed to ashes
Blood seeping into poisoned soil

Forgive us
Creator of Heaven and Earth
Forgive us for making
Your Creation
Into a death camp.

From The Challenge of Shalom. PA: New Society Publishers, 1994.