Forty Million Tonnes
and what do we get?
Almost a song lyric
written for those who don’t get older,
the uncounted ones lost in the rubble of Gaza.
Forty Million Tonnes of homes, roads,
and infrastructure converted into rubble
that will take uncountable years for us to clear
and still longer to rebuild towns and villages,
to replant crops and trees.
And who are the ‘us’ – the ones who will pay.
The same ‘us’ as did it before
and will do it again
unless perpetrators are held accountable.
And while this goes on, year upon year
‘they’ will feed those surviving
living still in that wasteland of rubble.
The same ‘they’ as did it before,
are trying to do it now
and will do it again
unless perpetrators are held accountable.
And how will we, us, they and them
deal with the hate engendered.
It will have to be dealt with,
then what will we do
as we count the cost
once again.