Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CLXXX: "grandfather and home"
inspired by Mosab Abu Toha's poem, "my grandfather and home"
my grandfather
used to count the days for return
with his fingers
then stones, birds, flowers, Gazans ...
his thousand-yard stare nowhere
FYI: "The thousand-yard stare or two-thousand-yard stare is a military phrase coined to describe the limp, unfocused gaze of a battle-weary soldier, but the symptom it describes may also be found among victims of other types of trauma."
And for more about Mosab Abu Toha's work, see "Cool Announcement: Palestinian Poet Mosab Abu Toha Wins Pulitzer for Commentary on the Devastation in Gaza"
Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CLXXX: "things hidden in ears"
inspired by Mosab Abu Toha's poem, Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear"
doctor, you may find
these things hidden in my ears
the refugee murmurs ...
buzzing of drones, roar of fighter jets
screams of Gazans, living and dead
Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CLXXX: "mow the grass"
breezy sunshine ...
row upon row of eclairs
oozing cream
glazed with blue wording:
let the IDF mow them down!
FYI: Haaretz, May 6: In Israel, Violence Saturates Everyday Life
What does it say about a society that sells eclairs inciting IDF destruction in Gaza while Palestinian children wait in lines at community kitchens, unable to enjoy even one cookie?
...The Hebrew word written on the eclairs means "mow" as in to lawn-mow, but mowing is also a euphemism for something more brutal. "Mowing the grass" is a term popularized in 2013 to refer to Israel's "strategy of attrition designed primarily to debilitate the enemy capabilities." To put it more crudely, mowing the grass means bombing Gaza periodically to facilitate temporary quiet for Israel...
...I'm struck by the profound cognitive dissonance experienced by so many in Israeli society. We revel in sugary-and-creamy abundance, a year-round array of fresh vegetables and fruit and stores with names like "Meatman" that advertise marbled steaks. Not far away, Palestinians in Gaza burn plastic and toxic waste to cook the little food they can obtain or scavenge.''
Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CLXXXI: "covered in blood"
covered in blood
a mother holds her dead children ...
with news on mute
this Israeli expat shouts
we won't forget; they won't escape
FYI: Haaretz, March 5 2024: If the Lust for Revenge Makes Israel Resemble Hamas, We'll Surely Lose the Gaza War
Netanyahu has repeatedly whipped Israelis into a mental frenzy of hate, revenge, anger, fear and the need to continue this ever lasting conflict...
