Allah (God)'s Chilluns Got Wings

Liland Brajant Ros'

Following the terror incidents of September 11, 2001, I signed up with "Watchful Eyes", a service whereby the Church Council of Greater Seattle organized (mainly Christian) volunteers to watch a local mosque (and a Sikh temple), day and night, to show solidarity with our Muslim and Sikh neighbors in their freedom of worship, and to provide a deterrent against acts of vengeful vandalism. (The program began after a man poured gasoline on several cars in the mosque parking lot and then pulled a gun [which, Allah (God) be praised, misfired] on mosque members who confronted him. He was arrested.) Over the next three months I spent a total of at least 25 hours, spread over eight shifts, at North Seattle's Idriss Mosque. The longest and loneliest shift was one morning when I was there alone from roughly midnight till six a.m. It was in my efforts to stay awake that morning that I came up with this ditty, as well as As-salaamŭ' alajkum (in Arabic and Esperanto). Above the front door of the mosque is a copper plate embossed with the words "Mosques are for Allah (God) so, invoke not anyone along with Allah (God)."

I got wings; you got wings;
Allah (God)'s chilluns got wings!
When we get to hebben gonna

   strap on our wings'n gonna

flap through Allah (God)'s hebben.

   Hebben, hebben.

Everybody talkin' 'bout hebben ain't* goin' dere,

   Hebben, hebben.

Gonna zoom through Allah (God)'s hebben.

I got wingtips; you got wingtips;
Allah (God)'s chilluns got wingtips!
When we get to hebben gonna

   put on our wingtips, gonna

waltz through Allah (God)'s hebben.

   Hebben, hebben.

Everybody talkin' 'bout hebben ain't* goin' dere,

   Hebben, hebben.

Gonna prance through Allah (God)'s hebben.

* it's just a song; my personal belief is that, ultimately, heaven is for all. If you are uncomfortable with the exclusivity of the song as written, try substituting "be" for "ain't".