The Faithful converge on Créteil Lake and form a thick impenetrable wall of flesh around the mosque...

The Ruba’iyat of Créteil Lake – Part Twenty-Two

The day broke on this fateful date like gravestones pushed asunder
Transcontinental wagons hooted their humming blared thunder
The Faithful six million alerted to the confrontation
Made their way in unison to the muezzin’s call yonder

The lake’s squadrons of Bernache geese trumpeted in response
Took to swooping in formation along national routes dense
The Faithful abandoned their vehicles and bikes at will
Once they converged on the citadel at siege with incense

Even pole stars at noon hiding behind clouds claimed no rights
Congregations of men and women choked the portals’ lights
More than plain portables buzzed during sacred ablutions
Plane loads from Maghreb to Middle East had Orly in their sights

Even as the last words of chour sermon filled Faithful ears
Jellaba white under black overcoat chador black in tears
Strode out to form thick walls of human flesh like parapets
Sandwiched between Robo-Cops and theirs furies of chanting Dears

They came by plane by cars by buses till arteries choked
Till crammed railroads and metros screeched under loads unlocked
Clutching Hadith books they sang or murmured psalms and sayings
Pilgrims treading on well-worn Compostela routes unhooked

© T. Wignesan – Paris, 2014