Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCXX: "never again, (n)ever again"
never again rolling tanks (n)ever again bomber after bomber
Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCXXI: "[paradoxical] state of denial"
...either it is all fake, or else the Gazans deserved it. Often, paradoxically, it is both at once: “There are no dead children in Gaza, and it’s good that we killed them.”
[Paradoxical] State of Denial
smoky twilight ...
will starving babies in Gaza
heal the broken heart
of an Israeli mother
whose children were kidnapped
word after word
squeezed out of the PM's mouth
in broad daylight
this daily "banality"
of dying, of death in Gaza
to save a life
is to save this broken world
a rabbi laments ...
TV debate back and forth
about the new body count
is a mother
cradling a dead baby?
no, it's an actor
holding a life-like doll
it's all fake, Gazans deserve it
FYI: L4 of the second tanka alludes to philosopher and political thinker Hannah Arendt's ground-breaking book, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil
And Ls 1&2 of the third tanka refers to Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin 4:1 (22a):
Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.
Added: This Brave New World, CXXIV
The Ritual Continues
a load of hot air
after shooting after shooting ...
the bell rings
mourners kneel in prayer
then an outburst, where is God?
God doesn't give you
more than you can handle ...
in dim light
these "thoughts and prayers" sharp
like a thousand bullets
the wooden Jesus
drips droplets of red
in gathering dark
with an ear-to-ear smile
a young man finger-gunning
FYI:
The Independent, August 28, 2025: ‘
Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers..these kids were literally praying’: Minneapolis mayor on school shooting
If parents in Minneapolis are inconsolable tonight, if parents across the country are afraid that their children’s school might be the next one—and there will be a next one, and a next one after that—that means our nation is working according to our current leaders’ wishes. They wrote it down. It’s how we know we’re truly free.
Sometimes calls for America to return to God are couched in the language of consolation. Especially after a mass shooting..
What’s needed is a coalition of American politicians and citizens—secular and religious—who value the protection of innocent human life above power. Without that, the ritual will continue: Horrific deaths, followed by thoughts and prayers, calls to return to God, and no change.
Added: This Brave New World, CXXV
In This Country
"We have more guns than people," the school pastor says in a trembling voice. "Please don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers..." he pauses for a moment to take a deep breath, "these kids were literally praying when shattered stained-glass windows rained down on them."
armed guard outside ...
one active shooter drill
after another
