Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CL: "first casualty of war"
the
bloodied
man
nailed to a wooden cross
in
a
press
vest
Chen-ou Liu
Commentary:
Fist of all, the haiku's visual layout, the Cross, relates to its theme: the sacrifice (as implied from "bloodied" and "nailed" to a wooden cross) made by a wartime journalist, also known as a war correspondent (as indicated the bloodied "man in a press vest"). The words, typography, and arrangement of the haiku are integral to its meaning and impact.
Secondly, the choice of action-packed verbs, "bloodied" and "nailed," shows that this is a target killing of a journalist for revenge, to warn other journalist (as implied from the act of being "nailed to a wooden cross" for other journalists to see), or to conceal or suppress the truth ... The intentional targeting of journalists is a WAR CRIME.
Thirdly, sociopolitically speaking, the immediate consequence of this target killing of journalists is the DEATH of TRUTH.
The first casualty when war comes is truth.
-- Hiram Johnson, a reform governor of California (1911–17) and a U.S. senator for 28 years (1917–45)
As of June 16, 2025, CPJ’s preliminary investigations showed at least 185 journalists and media workers were among the more than tens of thousands killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon since the war began, making it the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.
And last but not least, it's my intention to use the socio-religious symbol of the cross to spark the reader's emotions and reflection on why Israel's GENOCIDAL WAR on GAZA is still raging.
Notes:
1 This haiku is a sequel to the following:
written in response to Democracy Now, "DECEMBER. 20, 2023:" [NewYork-based, American NGO] Committee to Protect Journalists: Israel Is Killing Media Workers at Unprecedented Pace
smoky rubble
a bullet-riddled helmet
marked PRESS
Reprinted on My Haiku Pond, Nov. 23 2024
2 Israel's oldest and most progressive daily founded in 1918, Haaretz, was sanctioned by the Israeli government on Nov. 24, 2024
3 RSF's World Press Freedom Index, 2024: [so-called "first and only democratic country in the Middle East"] Israel, 101/180; Score: 53.23
(FYI: Reporters sans frontières'/Reporters without Borders' World Press Freedom Index aims to compare the level of press freedom enjoyed by journalists and media in 180 countries and territories)
4 Haaretz, July 2, 2025: Israel's Government Wants to Repress the Press at Home and Bury It in Gaza
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