SANDS

SANDS

I set foot on the sands of the Arabian Gulf

In Nineteen Seventy Nine;

The sands, since then, have swallowed me up,

And consumed all of my time;

My time has been spent, in work and in prayer,

Through the warm Arabian Nights;

The nights have exploded and lifted me up,

To wondrous towering heights.

The streets are all paved with 24K Gold,

In the mystic Middle East;

The Gold is so pure, spreading an array,

Of a gala sumptuous feast;

The feasts are so many and time has so sweetly,

Played on my favorite song;

The love songs of life, that keep on singing,

Moving me on and on.

The nights are lit up, from the skies above,

By a million or more stars;

The twinkling stars that shine out of the dark,

Are like watchful eyes from Mars;

The eyes that peer ‘neath black silk veils,

Of sweet and charming faces;

The faces of fortune, in oil rich sands,

Of sleek and flowing graces.

How many times have I left these sands,

To return and roost back home;

But the sands keep calling, luring me back,

To its great mosques and domes;

The domes that keep shining, reflecting the warmth,

Of the sizzling noon day sun;

The sun that keeps rolling, simmering the sand,

Around, almost everyone.

A Home away from home, is what I’ve found,

In these hot and burning sands;

The sands of time, that have kept me so close,

To these wonderful Arabian Lands;

The land of Prophets and a great belief,

That one man toiled and taught;

A teacher so mighty that none could defeat,

Even though, they, in vain fought.

Let me rest beneath the burning sand,

When my day is over and done;

Let my day be near, so I can lay my head,

Beneath the scorching sun;

Le the sun shine bright, through all of time,

In this beautiful bounteous land;

Let the land flourish and grow on to become,

A heaven on earth so grand.

Ministry of Defence, Seeb Camp, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman 1992