Beirut is Burning!

[ On Monday July 17, 2006, Agence France Presse reported - "US Ambassador John Bolton said there was no moral equivalence between the civilian casualties from the Israeli raids in Lebanon and those killed in Israel from 'malicious terrorist acts'". ]

John Bolton

[ John Bolton at the UN standing before Picasso’s Guernica. ]

Beirut is in flames. Beirut is burning.
And this is our chance to get rid of all our trash.
Throw into the fire your conscience and liberty.
Clean the whole area, leave no stone intact.

Beirut is in flames

Ignite the books, paper burns well.
Don’t be soft hearted, just feed the inferno.
Sanitize your house; does anyone yell?
Shove a blazing rag into the gibbering gob.

Beirut is burning

There are doubts? Burn them too! And throw into the flames
the mourns, moans, and groans.
The stench of scorched baby flesh
shall cover up many smells.

scorched baby flesh shall cover up many smells

Beirut is in flames. Beirut is burning.
Turn everything into ashes, once and for all.
Throw into the fire your conscience and liberty.
Tomorrow they might, god forbid, flourish again.

no moral equivalence

Poem written in 1982 by Israeli playwright and poet, Chanoch Levin.

Filed in: General | Mark Vallen | July 18, 2006

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