This poem is supposed to draw a stark contrast between William Blake’s visionary ideal of Jerusalem as a symbol of peace and spiritual renewal, and the harsh realities of today’s Jerusalem, Israeli policies, and the ongoing suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. It confronts the devastation wrought by political decisions and military actions, refusing to cloak these tragedies with ancient m...

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I’m your smooth - talking

free speech warrior,

I like posing in military gear

in helmets and flack-jackets

that say 'PRESS',

(not that I’d need one)

‘cos these are my mates,

yes, I’m here in the Middle East

‘cos I am defending THE WEST,

in the war THEY’ve declared,

‘cos they’re jealous that we’re the best,

well, that’s what I’ve heard!

know - what - I – mean?

...

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How has the shrine of wisdom and manger

Become a nightmare of fear and danger?

Lives tossed aside, like unwanted presents,

Of factory workers and toiling peasants?

How has Christmas, day of celebration,

Been transformed into a desecration,

Where the rocket, mortar, the flag and fist

Are the only currencies which subsist,

And the welcome afforded to a guest

Is replaced b...

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An Englishman in Israel

Jewels in the sand.

From a giant cushion of cloud I descend,

into evening sun-setting on the Middle East.

Blue into grey, into orange, into white

and finally falling back into blue.

Ground comes up to greet us as we seem to pass through tall bushy trees, …

… into what?

Had someone thrown jewels on a desert floor? Some gold, some silver, and some whit...

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Flash of a camera.
Shot from a gun.
Click, a distant finger
Exposes the truth,

That you would have buried
Amongst the bodies in the sand.
Rolled over with aggressive force
So no trace could be left
Just red truth seeping into
The mouth of the thirsty beaten ground
Who will excrete the lies
Too hard to digest.
Deceitful coloured vomit
Stained
Is left on your h...

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