Stuart Rees

An Opening Salvo

Five hundred days into a war
to achieve death and destruction
which at a glance looked like organised slaughter
where most casualties were women and children,
a carnage is justified by claims
that even newborn babies must be terrorists,
hence a beyond belief horror movie
beamed nightly on television screens.

Murder Unlimited

A cast of extras has included
home grown journalists, aid workers,
nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers,
all targets for death by invaders
loving their chance to kill, destroy,
dress in women’s underwear
and have the selfies sent home
as military snap reminders
of soldierly escapades
marinated with bombast.

Genocide Conundrum

Then there’s the distraction question
whether the destruction of home, hospitals,
mosques, churches, schools, universities
sewage and water plants
coupled to the Lancet estimate of 100,000 deaths,
was really a genocide, so a parade of silks
tut-tut their judgment – this was plausible,
a conclusion drowned by a lobby
who knew this Indigenous people
did not exist and if they did
were unworthy and therefore entitled to eliminated.

Brave Western Governments

Concern has come from the mouths of western governments
making claims about a world order of rights
yet cowering before the mighty with a veto,
drugged by the thought that nothing too critical
should be said about a messianic force
especially when the respectable west
can send arms, approve the many thousand ton bombs
and are helped by brave diplomats
who abstained in UN resolutions
aimed only at a pause in the slaughter.

Watching, Never Intervening

A world refusing to intervene
makes noises about more aid coming
to the starving, injured, dying,
their wringing of hands, plus articles
damning the US/Israel production ‘Slaughter Actually’ continues
and even millions marching in the world’s cities
have not dented the attitudes of enthusiasts for apartheid
as the way to govern,
and as protesters have protested in vain
they may have to be added to the charges against those
who allowed this carnage to continue.

Demystifying Hamas

October 7 2023 remains that day
when allegedly unprovoked, imprisoned young men
escaped to commit murderous revenge,
actions condemned by media hooked on aspirin like prescriptions:
Hamas terrorism explains everything except
decades of death by leaders of terrorist gangs
some of whom became Israeli Prime Ministers
though in the interests of political cleanliness
these stories should be forgotten, otherwise
the official views that October 2023
is where history starts and ends will have to be debunked
along with the historically false claim,
Hamas is entirely blameworthy,
even for questioning the view that a country
can defend itself on stolen lands.

Antisemitism Varnish

To distract a gullible public from brutalities,
politicians with their heads in “make us great euphoria”
feed a media chorus ignorant, blind or indifferent
though they have discovered the antisemitism varnish
to conceal concern with genocide,
so with the dexterity of gymnasts performing triple flips,
Zionists prompt newsreaders to identify a prejudice
as the primary site of every country’s cancer,
therefore it is irresponsible to ask questions
about externalities far away.

Trump Netanyahu Obscenity

The obscenity to outweigh
a rising death toll, appears centre stage
when a New York real estate operator
accompanied by his war criminal accomplice
grin their way through a news conference to announce
an exciting development can be achieved
by clearing a potential riviera strip of all the unworthies
who thought this was their home,
the two grinners imitating earlier crusaders
who had also polished their savagery
in the interests of civilisation.

Hostage Dilemma

Incredulity did not escape the families of hostages
who hoped that committed conversations
and skilled negotiation
would lead to release from captivity, instead
the theory that overwhelming force teaches everyone a lesson
became the military wisdom to conceive bombing as liberation
yet forgetting
that escapees who ran out waving white flags
were shot by rescuing comrades
which gives a new meaning to friendly fire
and even that seems incredible.

Amazing Resilience

Through debris tramp tens of thousands of Gazans
to houses that no longer exist
but to homes that can never be taken away,
despite that real estate mogul’s proposal
that ethnic cleansing is a developer’s dream,
a promotion fuelled by the other man’s anger
that the Naqba of 1948 was incomplete,
though a phenomenon called international law
is being outshone by a people pummelled, hungry and grieving
yet marching for love of land, for belonging
through resilience, their life enhancing, incredible
poetry of resistance.

Truly Incredible and Unbelievable

High notes for the wonderful
sometimes described as unbelievable
are usually expressed in response to
the finales of concerts, success in sports,
to medical surgical milestones,
at the sight of magnificent trees,
at ducks floating effortlessly on a gentle stream,
or are witnessed in the language of flowers
at birthdays, weddings, graduations
yet for months the Gazan body counts were diluted
by the lies of military spokespersons
who would never kill a civilian except when the targets
could be labelled ‘militant’ though like a drug
which has passed its use by date
their denials became no longer credible,
a ceasefire was holding,
peace with justice stood a small chance
of even being discussed
which would really be incredible.