Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. – Zechariah 9:9-10
Rise up you Detroit daughters, shake skirts! shout!
Despite the tension in the streets, rejoice!
Your booty shaking leads to hooting shouts
From the sons of Motown, soprano shouts
From the Motor City’s aunts, “Rejoice,
But keep the noise down!” but no matter, shouts
From fishes in Lake Michigan, and shouts
For the end of the sedan’s dominion
And the cookie-cutter car’s dominion,
For the end of the fender bender, shout,
The end of Pax Cadillaca, the peace
Of the luxury car, replaced by peace
For His hip hunger to the north, rejoice!
For His swerve-turning to the right, rejoice!
For His jump-thumping to the left, rejoice!
For His low lumber to the south, rejoice!
Of the pipe smoked by Pontiac, the peace
Of the plain warriors no longer shouting
For Custer but wishing his daughters peace
And the grandsons of the pioneer peace
On their absconded land taken with shouts
Of manifest destiny from peaceful,
Rightful owners who now wish the thieves peace,
Who generously with these crooks rejoice,
Who with white, pitchfork-tongued farmers rejoice
Wishing their combines and harvesters peace
Despite the injustice made dominion,
Despite the automotive dominion,
All my people in South and North, Selah!
All my people in East and West Selah!
All my dancers in cement shoes, Selah!
All my dancers in streets of peace, Selah!
The from-car-to-shining-car dominion,
The automatic-versus-clutch-war’s peace.
Detroit daughters, claim your own dominion,
Over General Motors, dominion
That delivers to the union reps peace
That ends maquilladora dominion
And gives the auto worker dominion
Over the machine with a victor’s shout
And pay-raise. Oh, daughters of Detroit, shout
Yourselves a new fief, a new dominion
Over your own lives at last – oh, rejoice,
Daughters of the new Michigan, rejoice
For His swerve-turning to the right, rejoice!
For His jump-thumping to the left, rejoice!
For the first shall be last, rejoice! Rejoice!
For the last shall be first, rejoice! Rejoice!
For industrial blight beknighted. Rejoice!
For ending streamlined dominion,
Low-riding design uplifted, rejoice!
For the new wheels-to-shining-wheels, rejoice!
Here it comes — souped-up, ridden in dominion,
For His swerve-turning to the right, rejoice!
For His jump-thumping to the left, rejoice!
For the signal of your low-rider peace
King parallel parking in perfect peace,
Spinning His custom hubcaps’ spokes, rejoice!
Oh daughters of Detroit, get in and shout
For the convertible converted, shout
Know that your king, El Rey Pacifico,
Of the low-riders comes in dominion
To pick you up for a slamming joyride,
Oh, daughters of motor city, so shout!
(Photo Credit: Jason Mrachina, Flickr)