A Child in Gaza

http://www.channel4.com/news/filmmaker-tells-story-of-israelis-told-to-cleanse-gaza

This poem was written after watching this amazing interview with Israeli soldiers on channel 4 news at the beginning of the year - January 2011. It was wonderful to discover humanity in all the dust and rubble,death and sadness in Gaza. Hopefully there will be peace eventually in my lifetime.

 

White Flag in Gaza

I made the white bones of your city,

the skeletal fingers which point to the sky,

I made you homeless and cry.

I fired the white shells into your city,

I fired randomly and I don’t know why,

and I saw your parents die.

I saw the white clouds hanging over your city,

containing the sulphur that burns your skin.

I did nothing about it and that is a sin.

I turned and saw you - the child waving the white flag,

I then saw the whites of your eyes, and the fear within.

I looked and saw you recognised the fear in mine.

I saw all this as a soldier, as a child; and as a man

I was taught to kill, but now I know that I can,

say that I ‘m a human and as a parent I care

about a child with fear in it’s eyes and a frightened stare.

And a child who waves a tattered white flag,

is a child saved in Gaza.

Diana Leighton January 2011