Island of roses
pink, yellow and white
from the sweet fragrance of petals
to the perfume of roasted almonds
Remember
the rosy cheeks of girls
the vigor of young men
bearing biblical names
They were the roots
of Sefarad, hailing from Iberia
like Torquemada the Satanic Inquisitor
and Ferdinand and Isabel
the very Catholic, very Treacherous
King and Queen of Spain
who forgot all about
Jesus's Jewishness
and killed in his name
chasing his brethren
raping his sisters
cursing the God of Abraham
of Sarah and of Moses
Island of roses
pink, yellow and crimson
from the sweet fragrance of petals
and the perfume of roasted almonds
to the spilt blood of innocence
Half a millenium later
the nazis replayed
the same foul game
sending toddlers and maidens
boys and mature men
as well as sages
to the crematoria
Rhodes, with all your present charm
you have lost your most precious jewel
And don't ever forget it
lest this time you lose your very heart and soul.
he jewish hearth of Rhodes