God and a drop of oil is one of Charbel Baini's books translated by Maha Bechara

BETWEEN HELL AND HEAVEN

 -1-

I extended my hand to You my Lord,

With my address embroidered on my palm

And a picture of my eyes and my heart,

With lots of words on my tongue

Do not return them...

Take them with Your hand

Bless them...

Make them a trust, a consignment...

Tomorrow on Your Feast Day,

My faith will shine brightly out of my hand.

-2-

Tomorrow...

And the distance of tomorrow

Is an age hanging on Your doorstep..

A beginning..

With a well-known ending..

A dust knocking on Your doors,

Endow my hand with the truth

And let it search in Your Book,

Trying to collect their words

And then deleting them,

They lied to the people in Your absence.

-3-

Some of them said that in hell,

The evils will make us suffer,

But we are suffering now

And we don't know to whom

This earth belongs..

I came to it forcibly,

Carrying years on my shoulders,

It's impossible for it to be a heaven

And all its angels are insane.

-4-

Some of them said that in heaven,

We will find bundles

Of goodness everywhere,

And young girls brighter than the sun,

Innocence did not meet any man;

If heaven is only pleasure and enjoyment,

Then let me tell You:

It is unavailing to obtain the deliverance

Of the spirit,

When heaven is full of sex and money.

**