(Dedicated to Ben Skoler)
Just as beloved wholeness was his emphasis
Regarding the individual’s spiritual quest,
So Gandhi strove for that sacred synthesis:
The macrocosmic marriage of East and West.
And to those who said he was an incarnate god
He stressed his natural birth and earthy side:
A son of Adam, or soul implanted clod,
Who wished to live in comfort when he died.
For the surest sign of Gandhi’s integrity
Was empathic humour that humanized his zeal;
Without it religious fervour and chastity
Might well have shrunk his capacity to heal.
Lest fatal fission blast our precious Earth,
Like Gandhi we must grasp wholeness’ worth.
Jerusalem 15 January 2021