Nakba

Dear Margot

We have never met
sixteen going on seventeen
every child should have dreams
yours stolen at nineteen
I wish I knew, truly
is it evil or hate?
to steal the life of a child
never mind thousands
after the Warsaw Ghetto uprising
the SS hunted and killed all
buried in the ruins
this evil never left the world
a declaration made, Belfor
now
thousands more children slaughtered
their homes also possessed and stolen
sadly those who came after you
learned nothing but hate
they too
are the brown shirts 
the children of Gaza weep, then die
hug everyone of them for me
in heaven

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Paul Callus

Date: 5/30/2024 1:16:00 AM

Unfortunately wars, ethnic cleansing, and much more have been the curse of humanity through past and present times. The problem is that lessons are not learnt, and most of all the rights of children keep getting trampled on without a care. Quo vadis humanitatem!? ~ paul

Eileen Manassian

Date: 5/25/2024 1:11:00 PM

So sad. My heart cannot bear the sorrow these children have to face before they die. Where is the voice of reason?

Yann Rolland

Date: 5/15/2024 7:35:00 PM

precious poem, wars are hatred , we must fight, poetry can do that

Duke Beaufort

Date: 5/15/2024 6:35:00 AM

Arthur, you make a great point. Seems as though the same thing keeps happening to the innocent...not enough empathy and too much hatred. It would take a very long poem to list all the instances of what you describe so elegantly.

Daniel Henry Rodgers

Date: 5/15/2024 5:54:00 AM

Dear Arthur, What a powerful indictment of the cycles of violence and oppression that have robbed countless children of their innocence and dreams. The haunting imagery of stolen lives, from the Warsaw Ghetto to the present-day tragedy in Gaza, serves as a searing condemnation of humanity's capacity for both unspeakable cruelty and resilient hope. Your voice echoes the cries of the oppressed, urging us to embrace empathy and break the chains of hatred that bind us. It is a profoundly moving work that demands reflection and action. - Blessings, Daniel