From the collection of poems with the same title written by Aharon Shabtai in 2003 after witnessing the murder by the IDF of the child Muhammad. Read the review from New Directions.. The sniper who shot at Muhammad the child Beneath his father’s arm Wasn’t acting alone – Someone else in uniform, A junior cog in the wheel who was briefed At a higher level, Positioned him there on the roof, A public servant, A cantor For the Days of Awe; And someone else Manufactured the ammunition, And another had it distributed Like bars of chocolate. The tree doesn’t go green When a single leaf unfurls, Many wrinkled brows Leaned over the plans. History has known Foreheads like these – Technicians of slaughter, Bastards in whose eyes Morality is a pain in the ass. But even cucumbers Need dirt and a little dung. The worm isn’t born of air; A million words are required To reconstruct the manner In which public discourse itself Is corrupted and turned into refuse – That which within the body politic Was created to preserve The heart of justice. But now There isn’t time for any of that, When right in front of the cameras, Without any shame, Grown men in uniforms Are shooting into a helpless crowd. From the back with their necks and behinds They look like guys at the airgun range By the screen at an amusement park, Trying to win their girlfriends A doll or a box of candy. Atop a hill, At the distance dictated By the administrators’ handbook, The prime minister looks on With his company of advisers. They gave down Into the Vale of Tears, Toward the horde which is scrambling Like jackals and rabbits, Grandchildren And great-grandchildren of refugees Who were stripped of their homes and fields, Wells and towns, And with an iron hand were driven Into enclaves and ghettos, Each one of these authorities Sees to his part in the plan: One’s in charge of liquidation, Another of the daily harassment’ This one’s field is public relations, That one’s collaboration; This one deals with expulsion and fencing, That one with the destruction of homes. Because, when it comes down to it, we’re only speaking Of a population of a certain size, Which needs to be pounded and ground Then shipped off as human powder. The outrage itself has to be packaged Like any piece of merchandise, With all the clichés Of corporate politics: They’ll give it a name, Then a format can be arranged For staged negotiations, With “breakthroughs” and “concessions,” And moments of press-covered heightened tension, Complete with a pr blitz full of talk: For this purpose we have the spokesman, The journalist and author as well, The TV announcer and the professor, A long lineup of Men of Letters, All blowing into the Process’ trumpets -. For the sniper who fired at the child Is only a single stinking instrument Within an enormous orchestra, Which is conducted by the man who knows More than anyone else That long-term solutions can be found For any and every problem, When it’s no longer breathing. The moment that man smiles, The skin over skulls becomes transparent; When hoarsely, he pronounces The word “Peace” – Mothers wake up trembling; He knows that words Are only the skins of potatoes With which the stupid are to be stuffed – And now, at long last, He’ll roll up his sleeves And get down to the work at which he excels, And bring about a blood bath. |
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