The Making of a Genocide

The world was silent as they died The victims of a genocide Armenian blood considered cheap Dehumanized, their wounds cut deep Starvation in a desert land A naked, bleeding, hopeless band The relocation just a ruse A Death March of rampant abuse Few decades later, Hitler said, “Forgotten are Armenian dead. Perhaps I too can do the same, for who remembers them by name? I’ll kill the Jews, yes, every one! The world can’t stop me till I’m done!” Another genocide took place For Jews, no favor, mercy, grace. These horrors haunt humanity But who can stop insanity? Now Jews are on the killing side They claim it’s not a genocide Poor Gaza has no wailing wall the bomb blasts made the strongest fall, and wailing’s heard on ravaged streets where children lie in bloodied sheets From rubble rises stifled cries a mother dies with open eyes her arms still clutching baby tight while blasts light up the Gazan night. A father faints beside the grave of children whom he could not save And those who manage to survive Must fight for food to stay alive Though Israel forgot its past, the truth of what they’ve done will last. The word they use? Retaliate! The proper word? Annihilate! Get rid of every single one The work of vengeance must be done A freedom fighter? Terrorist? The slaughtered ones can’t answer this. Instead of useless rhetoric Protect the dying, wounded, sick Wake up and stop this savagery Please do it for humanity! No matter what my choice of word, I grieve for those who died, unheard I groan with shame for what I see The death of human dignity To you who did not raise you voice, Who claimed you really had no choice, one day the genocide will be of loved ones in your family Before you go down to the grave Cry out for someone’s help to save But silence will reverberate For lesson learned was learned too late When your life bleeds out on the ground The world will watch without a sound. Eileen Manassian Ghali