J'accuse

We have been witnessing a Genocide in our own time,

Not a historic event of the past,

That we can ponder philosophically on,

And condemn those who silently allowed it to happen.

The “never again”, el "nunca más"

We have silently adopted as our very own.

 

We have made it our own by normalizing it,

By stubbornly rationalizing it away,

We have incorporated it into a macabre pantomime.

The tired, old adage of not mixing politics with sport,

Became the refusal to mix Genocide,

With a banal musical competition.

 

The pragmatic necessity of investing in Genocide,

To maximize returns for our old age pensions,

The stiff grey, dust covered, broken limbs of children,

Poking up through the ruins av Gaza city,

Sacrificed to ensure the comfort,

Of our aging population.

 

Waiting patiently for a verdict too late in coming,

From the lethargic International Criminal Court,

Before we dare to take that word upon our tongue,

Hoping it will be replaced with something more benign,

Collateral damage or just, an unintentional war crime,

Witnessing Genocide as it unfolds before our very eyes.

 

And as the corpses pile higher and higher,

We draw comfort from the so oft repeated lie,

A generous benediction from our pathetic rulers,

Absolving us from complicity in a crime against humanity,

As we are told repeatedly of the efforts made;

“We have been doing more than any of the others.”

 

Where were you when Kennedy was assassinated, Mum?

Oh, I remember it as though it was yesterday,

I was doing the ironing when it flashed upon the TV screen,

I lit a candle and cried all of the night,

And where were you when the Gaza Genocide occurred, Mum?

Hmm, not sure, probably watching the Eurovision Song Contest on TV.