Bombing Beirut

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ISRAEL AT WAR

Bombing Beirut

 

The eldest of the elders still remember

When Beirut was Paris of the Middle East

Today’s Beirut is a river of tears

 

Once the envy of the world for its

Culture, art and ancient architecture

Now it is a wasteland of ruin

 

Once prominent on the list of destinations

For wealthy tourists from Europe

Today it is a forbidden city

 

Israeli bombs shatter the air in Beirut

For the crime of housing their enemy

 

Israel no longer remembers

The Paris of the Middle East

 

Israel does not remember its beauty

Or its once famed hospitality

 

Israel bombs its enemies into oblivion

History and Beirut be damned

 

The Escalator

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ISRAEL AT WAR

The Escalator

 

It’s personal now

An explosion next to the coastal home

Of Benjamin Netanyahu

A drone directed by Hezbollah

With the fingerprints of Iran

It marks a new phase of the war: 

 

Calculated and deliberate assassination

The escalator of war is rising

Israel has killed the leader of Hezbollah

Israel has killed the leader of Hamas

Israel has leveled Gaza

Israel has struck inside Lebanon and Iran

The borders no longer apply

The limits no longer operate

We have reached new heights of warfare

And the escalator still rises

 

A year ago peace seemed possible

The Saudis were prepared to recognize

The sovereign Israeli state

Now they move closer to Iran

Now the Israelis are outcast

Iran is the defender of Gaza

Iran is the defender of Lebanon

And still the escalator rises

 

There is no end to war

The escalator rises

And we cannot find the door