Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CXXXV: "hope and history rhyme"
origami cranes
on the blood-stained school floor ...
in smoky twilight
squadrons of sniper drones
dot the Gazan sky
St Peter's Square
in breezy moonlight
baby Jesus
wrapped in a keffiyeh
under a Bethlehem Star
FYI: For many Palestinians, the keffiyeh symbolizes their yearning for freedom and serves a nod to their history. For some non-Palestinians, it's a show of solidarity.
And the title alludes to the following lines:
History says don’t hope
On this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up
And hope and history rhyme
Seamus Heaney, "The Cure at Troy"
And
Daily Mail, Dec. 8:
Pope Francis sends pointed message to Israel with detail in Nativity scene
On Sunday, the 87-year-old was gifted a 'Star of Bethlehem' plaque by two Palestinian children - paving the way for an impassioned speech.
In it, the Catholic Church's leader pleaded 'Enough with wars, enough of violence!', after thousands turned out to St Peter's Basilica to see him install 21 new cardinals the day before.
'You know that one of the most profitable investments is in the weapons industry? They earn money to kill. But why?' he continued, again condemning the arms industry he has said is fueling the war effort.
'No more wars!' he again said - this time drawing cheers. As he spoke, the symbolic addition served as a poignant - yet polarizing - nod to one side's struggle, ahead of what's set to be the 2,023rd birthday of Jesus Christ.
Meanwhile, just last month, in a collection of interviews conducted by author Hernán Reyes Alcaide, Pope Francis called for an investigation into what he framed as a potential 'genocide' occurring in the Gaza Strip.
'According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide,” Pope Francis told Reyes in his section of the book, 'Hope Never Disappoints'.
Added: This Brave New World, CXVIII
deny, delay, depose
etched on blood-stained shell casings
gathering dark
FYI:L1 is a reference to the well-known #insurance system tactic of “deny, delay, defend” when warding off claims from patients.
[part of UnitedHealth Group,] UnitedHealthcare, [whose C.E.O. was Brian Thompson, shot dead on Dec. 4], has the highest claim-denial rate of any private insurance company: at thirty-two per cent, it is double the industry average.
To most Americans, a company like UnitedHealth represents less the provision of medical care than an active obstacle to receiving it.
We know there is a crisis of gun violence in America. There is also a crisis of denials of care by private health insurance corporations including UnitedHealth.
A person who posted on Reddit’s r/nurses forum, whose profile describes her as an I.C.U. nurse, wrote, “Honestly, I’m not wishing anyone harm, but when you’ve spent so much time and made so much money by increasing the suffering of the humanity around you, it’s hard for me to summon empathy that you died. I’m sure someone somewhere is sad about this. I am following his lead of indifference.
Thompson’s death resurfaced some unsavory details about his industry. We learned, for instance, that Thompson was one of several UnitedHealth executives under investigation by the D.O.J. for accusations of insider trading. (He had sold more than fifteen million dollars’ worth of company stock in February, shortly before it became public that the Department of Justice was investigating the company for antitrust violations, which caused the stock price to drop.)
And
Vox, Dec. 7: How to think about the public backlash to the killing of a health care CEO
The online reaction felt uncomfortable to some bystanders given that we’re all supposed to care about human dignity — the idea that every single person has intrinsic and inalienable value. The concept is at the heart of human rights: It’s because every person has value that they have the right to, say, not be murdered.
Yet the people posting vitriolic comments about Thompson feel justified in being smug about the death of this human in particular. That may be understandable, given the millions of Americans who suffered as a result of the industry that he represented. But disregarding human dignity by committing or cheering on an act of violence can’t be the answer. So, what is? Is there a better way to square moral outrage at someone and what they represent, while keeping faith with a belief in their human dignity?
Added: This Brave New World, CXIX
claim denial ...
this numbness outside
this anger inside
Added: No More Fairy Tales, XXXIX
the tongues
of a wildfire leaping ...
this rage inside
Added: Re-Homing in the Maple Land, XXXIII
the distant chants
of no more immigrants
get closer and darker ...
through the window of my mind
I migrate to Never Land
