Ruby, Ruby

Ruby, Ruby
Where did you go,
Why do you hide,
When did I lose you,
My youngest daughter?
I think it was
When your mother died,
But maybe it was
Even before that.
All I know
Is that I helplessly watched
The distance between us
Continually grow
Until the gap
Seemed far too wide
For either of us to bridge.
You always seemed
So full of rebellion,
Bitterness and rage,
Reflective of a soul
At war with the world.
I suppose you were
No different from any of us
In that you craved
To know that you were loved,
But you were blinded
To what was there for you
Because you could not
Fathom the love of others
Until you felt it for yourself.
It was obvious
In the way you lived
And by the men you chose
That your self esteem
Was not very high,
And you always
Appeared to be struggling
To come to terms with life.
There is a vulnerability
Inherent in such a battle,
And each man you met
Was attracted by that weakness.
When I heard you had converted
To becoming a Muslim,
I was not really surprised,
For I knew there had to be
A man behind there somewhere,
And sure enough
You had met someone
From Saudi Arabia
Who was indoctrinating you
Into his faith.
I don’t know the guy,
Or have any idea
What he might be like,
And certainly hope
He treats you well,
But what I fear most
Is his fanaticism and yours
For I imagine
You are still at war
With the world.
If he is the kind of man
Who stokes the fires of hatred,
And sees the world as evil,
Then there is no telling
What either of you might do.
If you can find peace
In either world,
Than I am happy for you,
For I believe that in the end,
All any of us seek
In any religion
Or any faith
Is to be at harmony with life
And open to love.