Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, XXII: "punitive house demolition"
bulldozed house
now a bundle of belongings
on the bent back
of a Palestinian man ...
in his mind's eye re-homing
Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, XXIII: "bread"
God willing
we'll have bread like the bread
of old days ...
he states with an eye on kids
eating pita of chicken feed
FYI: Haaretz, Feb. 25: Israel Blocks Work Visas From International Aid NGO Workers in West Bank and Gaza
The refusal has disrupted the operations of numerous agencies involved in providing medical assistance, food, and water to Gaza residents, who are primarily affected by acute hunger and dehydration. Some aid workers told Haaretz they fear political motivations are behind the decision.
The Guardian, Feb. 27: Israel is deliberately starving Palestinians, UN rights expert says
Exclusive: UN special rapporteur on the right to food Michael Fakhri says denial of food is war crime and constitutes ‘a situation of genocide’
And The Associated Press, Feb. 29: Palestinian deaths in Gaza pass 30,000 as witnesses say Israeli forces fire on crowd waiting for aid
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops fired on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza City on Thursday, witnesses said. More than 100 people were killed, bringing the death toll since the start of the Israel-Hamas war to more than 30,000, according to health officials.
Hospital officials initially reported an Israeli strike on the crowd, but witnesses later said Israeli troops opened fire as people pulled flour and canned goods off of trucks.
The Israeli military declined to provide an on-the-record statement about the role of troops in the incident.
Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, XXIV: "smell"
written in response to Seamus Heaney's view of poetry in times of crises and after Praniti Gulyani
In a war situation or where violence and injustice are prevalent, "poetry is called upon to be something more than a thing of beauty."
the ever-changing
smell of the winter wind
Rafah's tent camp
FYI: Haaretz, Feb. 29: Death Is Everywhere': In Gaza, You May Skirt Israel's Bombs, but That Doesn't Mean You're Alive
...Death and destruction were everywhere, with the horrifying smell of flowing sewage and rotting bodies with flies and other insects above them...We walked quietly; most of the people walking marched in silence without looking right or left...
And
backyard orchard ...
the ever-changing scent
of the breeze
NeverEnding Story, March 1, 2024
Praniti Gulyani
Added: This Brave New World, CXLIV
the mall's TV
blasting ad after ad
as shoppers flood in ...
at ninety seconds to midnight
the Doomsday Clock ticks, ticking...
FYI: The Doomsday Clock is a design that warns the public about how close we are to destroying our world with dangerous technologies of our own making.
And Haaretz, Feb. 28: Israeli Calls to 'Nuke Gaza' Are Undermining the Nuclear Ambiguity Doctrine
Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who said that dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza was "an option," and lawmaker Tally Gotliv, who urged the government to consider using such weapons against Hamas.
Given the increasing risks of nuclear weapons proliferation – and, worse, use – continuing such self-censorship about Israel's nuclear arsenal is not just bizarre; it's harmful," the authors write.
Added: Game Show 2024, XXXVII
USA!USA!
a mob of ravens unfolds
into echoes
Added:
a white raven
on the power line ...
winter deepens
