Freedom and Mass Graves Tanka

Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, LV: "mass graves"

hosting Passover

the festival of freedom ...

a neighbor's TV

blasts news of the mass graves

found at Gaza's hospital

NeverEnding Story, April 23 2024

FYI: The First night of Passover 2024 is on April 22nd, which is the most important day during the 8-day Passover celebration. 

NBC News, April 22: Dozens of bodies exhumed from mass graves at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. The hospital was raided by Israeli forces before their recent withdrawal from the area.

And Haaretz, April 21: The Israel-Gaza War Will Make This Passover Seder Different From All the Others

the the Four Children will be an Israeli, a Palestinian, a Peacemaker, and One who has no words left within them:

The Israeli, what does he say? In this generation, we must all see ourselves as hostages in Gaza, doing all we can to bring them home. Achshav!

The Palestinian, what does she say? The destruction, dispossession, starvation and death must end. Ceasefire Now. Halas!

The Peacemakers, what do they say?

We both love this land and neither is leaving. We're in this together. Between the river and the sea two peoples must be free.

The final child has no words; they sit silently in tears with two bowls of marror before them, tasting the bitterness of all, dreaming the dreams of the holy and the broken.

And maybe they will all say together at the end:

"This year we are slaves

This year we are hostages

This year we are hungry

Next year in Jerusalem

Next year in Freedom

Next year in Peace"

-- Ittay Flescher is a peace educator, podcaster and the Jerusalem correspondent for The Jewish Independent. 

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, LVI: "seder meal"

the seder meal 

these three empty chairs silent

for six and half months

FYI: Haaretz, April 22: Israel's 10 Self-inflicted Plagues Since October 7

The Plague of Abandoning the Hostages

Yes, Hamas is to blame for kidnapping and holding them, but Israel is to blame for abandoning its people. Hamas is going nowhere and, meanwhile, the hostages are dying in captivity.

And Reform Judaism, What to Expect at a Passover Seder

The seder, a festive holiday meal, actually means "order." It is called this because the meal is done in a certain order which takes us [the Israelites] from slavery to freedom. The Haggadah - which means "the telling" – is the book used at the Passover seder. The Haggadah explains the foods on the seder plate, recounts the highlights of the Exodus, and includes songs, prayers, questions, and vignettes.

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, LVII: "Passover"

the headlines bleed

into this sunlit suburb

on Passover 

the chants of Free Hostages mix

with those of Free Palestine

FYI: Passover, the Jewish Festival of Freedom, begins on April 22, 2024, marking the Israelites' "Exodus from Egypt," the first step toward redemption. The theme of freedom dominates this 7-or 8-day festival.

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, LVIII: "separation wall"

a mural

on the separation wall

of the West Bank:

in midair a girl grasps

a bunch of rainbow balloons

Gardening Haiku

gardening ...

breath after breath

of turned earth

Wales Haiku Journal, Winter 2023/2024

Floating World Tanka

alone  

at the river's edge

this floating world

with or without

me

Failed Haiku, 9:97, 2024

Heaviness and Lightness Haiku

snowflakes on wet snow

the heaviness and lightness

of being older

Failed Haiku, 9:97, 2024

Test Results Senryu

test results

I teeter home after

my shadow

Failed Haiku, 9:97, 2024

Prayer Flags Haiku

a string of prayer flags

holding the night breeze

… letting it go

Second Place, Maya Lyubenova International Haiku Contest , 2024

It's peaceful now

Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, LII: "blood-covered children" to Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu

M-16 rifles are blooming, 2000-pound bombs are singing, and  Merkava tanks are sweeping the streets.

Gaza cleaner than ever clean of blood-covered children

NeverEnding Story, April 17 2024

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, LIII: "mountains of debris"

mountains of debris

a woman holds her baby

dripping blood

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, LIV: "bombing"

airdrops of aid ...

a before and an after 

the moment of bombing

FYI: Voice of America/VOA, April 18: UN chief calls Gaza a 'humanitarian hellscape'

"One miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake, could lead to the unthinkable—a full-scale regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved."

"In Gaza, six and a half months of Israeli military operations have created a humanitarian hellscape," Guterres told the UN Security Council.

Kibbutz Friend Haiku

Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, XLIX: "kibbutz"

house to house

my kibbutz friend's thoughts stained

with drops of blood

NeverEnding Story, April 16 2024

FYI: Haaretz, Feb. 16: Israeli Disaster Tourism Is in High Demand, but Residents of the Gaza Border Communities Are Saying, "Don't Come"

Don't come – out of courtesy and respect. This is a region whose residents are refugees in their own country, whose communities are abandoned and torched. Having a picnic here is like having a party in the home of a neighbor who's in intensive care.

And Haaretz, Feb. 17: Tourism to Atrocity Sites Exposes the Lie Israelis Tell Themselves

There's a link between day trips to Samaria and visits to the war zones in the south: a denial of the reality that Israel actually faces

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, L: "here and there "

The Distance between Here and There

yellow ribbons

flap in dim streetlight

the chants

of bring them home now

piercing the night and hearts

You're now 

the martyr's daughter

again and again

as if it were a blessing ...

in the dark the girl's muffled cries

FYI: In the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the term shahid (Arabic: شهيد, lit. 'martyr') is used by Palestinians to refer to any Palestinian fighter, protester, or activist ... killed by the IDF, Israeli policemen or settlers.

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, LI: "neither here nor there "

orange-red fireballs 

streak across Gaza's night sky

on her TV screen

a Ukrainian Jew's mind 

neither here nor there, and yet ...

FYI: This tanka could be read as a sequel to further complicate the concluding issue raised in Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, XLVI: "human pain"

the war will end

the war won't end, the war will end ...

one petal left

as a fighter jet splits the sky

silencing everything below

blocked by police cars

Israel supporters and foes 

shouting, cursing...

I wonder if human pain

has distinct identity

NeverEnding Story, April 10, 2024

And In 2023, Ukraine is home to 45,000 Jews, making it the fourth-largest Jewish community in Europe and the 11th-largest in the world.

The Hottest Cover Tanka

the hottest cover 

of a lifestyle magazine:

with a flirty smile

the Israeli model holds

a M-16 rifle

NeverEnding Story, April 15, 2024

FYI: For more examples of double entendre, see To the Lighthouse: A Rhetorical Device, Double Entendre

Last Shift Over Haiku

last shift over

my shadow walks alone

with the snow moon

Cold Moon Journal, Jan. 12 2024

Shape of Dew Haiku

hospice garden

the shape of dew

the shape of tears

Scarlet Dragonfly Journal, Jan. 22 2024

Anniversary Dinner Haiku

anniversary dinner

the click, click

of our chopsticks

haikuNetra, 1:4, 2023

Drops of Sunlight Haiku

drops of sunlight ...

leaping up the waterfall

pink salmon

haikuNetra, 1:4, 2023

Two Worlds Collide

Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, XLVI: "human pain"

the war will end

the war won't end, the war will end ...

one petal left

as a fighter jet splits the sky

silencing everything below

blocked by police cars

Israel supporters and foes 

shouting, cursing...

I wonder if human pain

has distinct identity

NeverEnding Story, April 10 2024

Added: written on the first day of Eid,  Eid, also known as Eid-al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan

row after row

shoulder to shoulder Gazans

pray in the tent city

Added: This Brave New World, CXIII

written  in response to Alex Garland's "near-future America" movie, Civil War

chipped Abrams tanks

on a Walmart parking lot

littered with debris 

Here Tomorrow, Gone Today

the sound of  Civil War 

FYI: FYI: From the official trailer of Civil War:

A white-haired journalist says to young one:

They shoot journalists on sight in the capital. Every instinct in me says this is death.

The Reporter: There's some kind of misunderstadning here.

The armed fighter: What?

The Reporter: We're Americans, OK.

The Armed Fighter: OK, what kind of American are you? [a long silence between them]. You don't know?

And CBC, April 12: Jarring, visceral and all too plausible, Alex Garland's Civil War is a must-see

Added:

why? what if...

I continue to mumble

in slanted light

the roshi taps his temple

saying, this is your prison

Added:

around corners

the thud-thud-thud ...

in dim street light

a disheveled woman runs fast,

faster into her worst fear

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, XLVII: "an eye for an eye"

fireballs rolling 

across Tel Aviv's night sky ...

my Sufi friend

laments, an eye for an eye

will make the whole world blind

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, XLVIII: "shadow war"

inspired by Iran's attack on Israel

the pitbull

circled by Siamese cats

in a back alley

this years-long shadow war

between two old neighbors

FYI: The Siamese cat is known to be the most aggressive of all cat breeds.

Added: Game Show, 2024, XLII

written in response to CNN, April 15: Jury selection begins in Trump's historic hush money trial

men's room brawl

this shit-stained moment

for a hush money joke

Sand Dunes Haiku

the sweep

of wind-sculpted sand dunes

this loss, and yet ...

haikuNetra, 1:4, 2023

Solar Eclipse Senryu

FYI: Time-lapse video: Niagara Falls's solar eclipse in 43 seconds

solar eclipse crowd

the first glimpse

of my ex with her lover

NeverEnding Story, April8 2024

FYI: Watch live with me 😁 as a total solar eclipse moves across North America or Reading "Special Feature: Haiku and Tanka Selected for Total Solar Eclipse"

Added: 

the afternoon sky turns dark

a deep crash

of Truth Social stock

FYI: CNN, April 8: Trump’s net worth has tumbled by $2 billion since Truth Social stock peaked last month

Shares of Trump Media & Technology Group continue to rapidly fall back to Earth. The Truth Social owner dropped by another 10% on Monday, adding to a brutal week that wiped out a third of the stock’s value.

Added:

light rapidly dims

and shadows grow sharper

then day flips

to darkness for three minutes ...

at last a diamond ring

Added:

day flips to darkness

face to face my dog and I

howling

Added:

three-minute darkness ...

the murmurs 

of ohmygodohmygod

Diamond Ring Senryu

down on one knee

with my small diamond ring ...

she replies, prenup

Failed Haiku, 8:96, December 2023

Boxing Ring Kyoka

in the ring

jabs, missed punches

and clenches ...

round after round

I fight my drunken shadow

Failed Haiku, 8:96, December 2023

Teenaged Niqābi Haiku

her long gaze

at The Birth of Venus …

a teenaged niqābi

tsuri-dōrō,  16, July/August 2023

Longlisted Poem, 2023 Touchstone Awards 

New Life and Last Look Tanka

Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, XLIV, "hospitals destroyed"

written in response to the destruction of Gaza's biggest hospital, Al Shifa

between blood of birth

and blood of death

a new life

on the hospital floor ...

a Gazan mother's last look

NeverEnding Story, April 4 2024

FYI: Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, today after a two-week raid that’s left most of the medical complex in ruins, with dead bodies on the ground and a wasteland of charred and destroyed buildings. The government media office in Gaza said over 400 Palestinians were killed and over 1,000 homes in the area of Al-Shifa destroyed. Army bulldozers also plowed over a makeshift cemetery in the hospital courtyard. The World Health Organization said at least 21 patients died since the raid began March 18th.

Built in 1946, Shifa was once the flagship medical facility in Gaza. Since October, Gaza’s health sector has been completely decimated. Only two hospitals are minimally functional and 10 partially functional, according to the United Nations. The rest have shut down completely after being shelled, besieged and raided by Israeli troops, or running out of fuel and medicine.

-- excerpted from Democracy Now, April 1: “Genocidal Machine”: Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah, who spent over a month treating patients at Al-Shifa and Al-Ahli Baptist hospitals, on Israel’s Destruction of Gaza’s Hospitals

And This tanka is a sequel to the following entry:

Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, XIII: "Gaza's hospitals"

a cacophony

of sirens, shouting and screams ...

a girl curls up

next to the wheels of a stretcher

that holds her bloodied siblings

NeverEnding Story , January 27, 2024

Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, XLV, "Joe Biden"

one-ton bombs to Israel

airdropped aid to Gaza

he shouts with his fist raised

Joe Biden kills us as swiftly

and yet slowly as possible

FYI: The Washington Post, April 4: U.S. approved more bombs to Israel on day of World Central Kitchen strikes

The Biden administration signed off on thousands more bombs to Israel despite global condemnation of the IDF’s killing of seven World Central Kitchen employees

The transaction demonstrates the administration’s determination to continue its flow of lethal weaponry to Israel despite Monday’s high-profile killings and growing calls for the United States to condition such support on greater protection for civilians in the war zone. A U.S. citizen was among the dead.

The move also casts new light on the emotional statement by President Biden that he was “outraged and heartbroken” by the tragedy and was insistent that such events never happen again.

“They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war,” Biden said. “They were brave and selfless.”

And The New Yorker, April 6: Joe Biden and U.S. Policy Toward Israel

The matter of moral sympathy—who attracts it, who gives it, what action it inspires—can be cruelly fickle. 

it was Israel’s fatal attack on seven aid workers in Gaza, who were part of José Andrés’s World Central Kitchen—all but one of them non-Palestinians, including a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen—that compelled the Biden Administration to issue its strongest rebuke.

And Haaretz, April 7: We Israelis Are All Complicit in the Starvation of Civilians in Gaza written by Yuli Tamir 

Creating mass starvation is morally prohibited, undermining the State of Israel's moral right to exist. Every just war has its limits, and the claim that the goal justifies the means is both malicious and erroneous.

Starvation also harms our hostages, who are suffering from hunger. And how can we complain that the hostages are hungry when we let hundreds of thousands of people suffer from malnutrition?

Added:

only the murmur

of the refrigerator

for company ...

this winter night and I

grow old and gray

Added: Re-Homing in the Maple Land, XXI

a midnight scream

breaks the snow's silence

park encampment

Added:

muffled thunder

in the bowels of the earth ...

my attic room

my beagle and I shake

like a swing, back and forth