In Israel they call housing
developments built on stolen
Palestinian lands “Settlements”.
In America way back when,
the first killers to burn
and murder the natives were
courageous “Settlers”. Funny
how the brutality of invaders
gets translated into a glowing
narrative of self-sacrifice
and purity of intent that
buries criminality in homespun
folklore and legendary
mythology. Thieves and
assassins become “Pioneers”,
brave and fearless explorers
sent by the One True God
to tame and reclaim the wilds
He created specifically for us,
and by any means necessary;
thus the righteous slaughters
and guilt-free butchery still
celebrated and cherished
in America and now
emulated in Israel with iron
fists and dead hearts. Destruction
of whole peoples becomes
the glory of history, blessed
fables told in hushed tones
to children around crackling
campfires, the treachery
of language, then, hard at work.