i
Shalom
Is a word of beginnings
Of the brightness you see
In each other's eyes
Before you touch––
Of the warmth that
Comes from your
Hands and hearts
When you are near.
Somehow
You have ended your search
And have discovered
The miracle of lasting-love.
Perhaps it is because of the
Subtle magnetism
You experienced
When you were apart.
Or maybe your love
Was written long ago
On the parchment of the sky
By the stars that
Calm our nights and
Rule our days.
Or you may have come together
To merge your flickering lives
Into a living flame
Much greater and
More beautiful
Than dawn.
ii
Now you are wed
And have entered the
Sacred stream of life
Holding hands.
I watched you
Setting out across the stream
As I dreamed a blessing
For your lives.
My blessing for you
Is a single word––
A mystical Sanskrit word
Of ancient truth––
A word that means
"the peace that passes understanding"
"Shanti"
This, then, is my gift for you––
May you find it
In you hearts,
In every day of your lives,
And in your children,
Who are
The blood of your race,
Our hope for the world––
“Shanti.”