Rising and falling, rising and falling again and again, insistent, pleading, beseeching

The missile siren is only one, but it is many

The missile siren is not an alarm but a wail

rising and falling, rising and falling again and again,

insistent, pleading, beseeching.

The siren is not one but many

The missile siren is not an alarm but a wail,

an infant crying for its mother,

I am alone, stay by my side,

come close, hold my hand, stroke my cheek,

grant me your love,

hide not from me nor abandon me,

stay with me always.

The siren is not one, but many

The missile siren is not an alarm but a wail,

a cry from Am Yisrael

to the One Above,

come close, hold my hand, stroke my cheek,

grant me Your love,

hide not from me nor abandon me,

stay with me always.

The siren is not one, but many

The missile siren is not an alarm but a wail,

the wail of the shofar,

the yelalah of shevarim-teruah, shevarim-teruah

over and over, again and again,

the weeping of Rochel Imeinu

crying for her children again and again

and refusing to be comforted

The siren is not one, but many

The missile siren is not an alarm but a wail,

the wail of the Shechinah on high

abandoned by Her children,

calling them to return.

The siren is not one, but many

The missile siren is not an alarm

that sends us fleeing to a shelter,

but the lament of the sacred soul

that sought to flee from Him,

and yearns now to return

to Him Who is our shelter.

The siren is not one, but many

The missile siren swiftly, in our day,

will turn from wail to song

and lift us from the huddling shelter,

onto hills of celebration

where sobs become a melody,

and weeping becomes laughter

and sadness becomes dancing

and tears, tears of joy

and eyes and ears are opened

and finally perceive

that the missile siren is not many,

but one,

from the One and Only One.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1104)