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Poems on Palestine
by Barb Beesley, IHM 
Ecce Homo, Easter Vigil
A time for creative ritual
to bless ourselves
with new water.
My desire for a sprightly splash
wins the day
despite icon's quizzical eye
Wiggly fingers arise from deep plunge
and their whimsical sprinkling
signals renewal
set free from the punishing frame
the crosses of expectation and routine
to a new life of surprise and vitality.
Just Doing My Job
Soldiers chainsaw olive trees
by the dozens
Strange enemies
they enforce shoot-to-kill curfews
impede travel
and humiliate daily
flaunting colonial power
saying, "It's my job"
Nuremberg warns eastward
reminding me of my job
to be a blessing
to challenge lies and
question assumptions
to promote alternative
employment
Palestine Perspective
Formidable wall
insures an early sunset
for villagers facing Jerusalem
But something
stands higher
than the 30 foot concrete slabs
Something green
wedded to the land
persistent, thorny and growing
You need
perspective, however
to see it.
Rafah Delusion
(From an NPR Report, Spring 2004)
Tanks rumble menacingly
destroying roads
downing power lines
Caterpillar bulldozers raze homes
creating rubble
churning out refugees
Bullets burst into unarmed crowds
killing dozens
harming more
All justified by suspected tunnels
delivering arms
none are found
Arrogance wins the day
Troops withdraw
Mission accomplished
The U.S. sits silent at the U.N.
Its abstention shouts
"Protect our cohorts" |
