Balance of war and peace

Israel/OPT: Palestinians face drastic escalation in unlawful killings, displacement as Israel launches West Bank military operation  

From August 28, 2024  Amnesty International

 Israel’s war on Gaza updates: Army targets homes, kills 33 in single day  By Edna Mohamed and Urooba Jamal

Published On 8 Sep 2024 by AlJazeerah

Video Duration 00 minutes 57 seconds00:5

Now 1984 the novel occurs in 2024 the year:
One of the destructive wars is “over there”
in a 3^rd zone (Neither Russia/China nor
NATO/USA—we’ll speak of Ukraine another time.)
Two other zones send weapons and peace
teams while fascism spreads world round.
 
There is an uneven kind of balance there
that is a total shame and absence of effort
to save lives and bring peace.  Free the hostages,
the Israelis say in peace talks, as if killing
thousands of innocent Palestinians could
never balance the loss of innocent Israelis.
 
But there is more at stake. “Both sides” believe
the other wants to destroy them and form
one state without the other.  The Hamas
who live among Palestinians vs the Zionists
who live among Israelis.  Will they let the
people on either side arrive at peace?
 
I find myself looking for signs of life in pictures
of war zones and rubble: People, trees, anything. 
The people wail or fight or they are dead.
The trees seem to be silent, but what messages
do their roots spread around the world?
And how will our trees, so far away, respond?

 

For Sherry's prompt at What's Going On?

My blog poems are rough drafts.

Please respect my copyright.

© 2024 Susan L. Chast