Stop the sirens
they blare so loudly in my ears
that I can hear them
even when they are silent.
Stop the rockets
being showered across my country
sounding ceaseless red alerts on my phone
and leaving hardly a home safe.
Stop the tears
of grief over loved ones being lost.
The pain seems ceaseless.
Sleep provides no shelter.
Stop the fear
of death and destruction tormenting
innocent Israelis and Palestinians alike
Stop the pain
of wounded bodies and souls.
and the evil of using children
as human shields.
Stop the guns in Gaza.
We know that war is not the path to peace
yet in helplessness and hopelessness
we are drawn into aggression
as a means of achieving safety and security.
Start shouting loudly
for cease fires to be signed.
Start condemning the acts of
and demanding justice for the fanatics
who stole Eyal, Gilad, Naftali, Mohammed
and far too many others from our world.
May all know that uprooting radicalism
is our collective goal.
Stop listening to those
who deny the legitimacy
of Israeli’s rights to their homeland
or Palestinian’s rights to build a peaceful state.
Start expressing faith in the innocent
across borders who, like us, want peace
Start praying passionately
for cycles of vengeance to be broken
and a vision for a sustainable and successful
two state solution to emerge.
Stop the sirens.
Start the path to peace.
One Response
Judy, just fabulous, to the point words. So well said. I wore my Israeli Archaeological Tours t- shirt all day in support. T.G. My temp. Is up from 96.5 to 97.1. Twice heat exhaustion is enough for one summer! Regards, Rick Lipson