They weep in Israel;
They weep in Palestine.
They weep in Ukraine.
The whole world should weep.
Time drifts by, faster than we think;
Death queues for its daily spoils.
Someone always cleans up afterwards.
The stubbornly alive cling on to love.
Condolences rain down;
Groups huddle, trying to empathise
And multiply excuses,
While a few, buoyed up by the circus roar,
Yell: ‘Bring it on!’
Thanks Stephen for another poem that helps us look at and process our sadness and helpessness about never-ending wars. Thanks also to Greg for well-stated comment: "Both causes are just, in their different ways. That is the terrifying problem in the case of Israel and Palestine." When my 40-year-old son was a young kid, he and his friends would jokingly greet each other by lifting their fingers in the peace sign & say "peace in the Middle East." A prayer that continues today...
Graham - that's a perceptive comment. When I read it again, I see exactly what you mean, although it was not my explicit intention.
In most conflicts, there is a clean up and reconstruction afterwards, although not paid for those responsible for the destruction in the first place. The 'polluter pays' principle rarely applies in war, even where strenuous efforts are made to implement it.
Greg - Yes, the aspirations of both sides are just. The moral dilemma with regard to Gaza is insoluble. When I talk about multiplying excuses, I mean that some people (e.g. Ukrainians) have better excuses for inflicting casualties than others.
But in the end, each death or wounding is tragic. Such is the pity of war.
Thanks to both of you for these comments, which make me think more deeply about the poem.
And thanks to Hugh, K Lynn and Manish for the likes.
Both causes are just, in their different ways. That is the terrifying problem in the case of Israel and Palestine. This argument was expounded by a British journalist who is also Jewish.
Stephen, I read this several times and each time it sounded in my head like news headlines. I don't know whether that was your intention or not.
the two lines that I keep going back to are these.
'Death queues for its daily spoils.
Someone always cleans up afterwards'.
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Stephen Gospage
Tue 31st Oct 2023 08:33
Thank you very much, Hélène. Peace seems further away than ever; perhaps evil, in all its forms, has to be confronted first.
And thanks to Frederick and Purplemoon.