Dear All
Lately I've been accused of being a war-mongering bitch who has never
experienced war. So just to set the records straight I thought you'd
like to know a few facts about me. I'm 42, Israeli and Jewish. I have a
lot of relatives on my mother's side but very few on my father's side
because they were all killed in the holocaust. My two elder brothers
were injured in the Yom Kippur war in 1973 and were very lucky to
survive. In 1982 I lost my brother-in-law and my cousin in the Lebanon
war, as well as a few acquaintances from university. My nephew suffers
from deep anxiety brought on by the military service and his sister lost
her boyfriend in a chopper accident. I've seen people shredded by
suicide bombers. Lately two terrorist were caught near my kids' school.
I've spoken and demonstrated for peace my whole life. I'm a member of
the Israeli-Palestinian Bereaved Family Organization for Peace and I
have many friends who are Arabs, both Christians and Moslems.

I paraphrased the general idea of this poem from a famous Israeli poet
called Yehuda Amichai but developed it in a different way than he did.
C&C welcome.
Tammara


The place where we are right
is rocky and barren.
The sharp toothed cliffs
of our self-conviction
look over the vast, empty plain
of blind arrogance.
The moon-like landscape is smitten
by the merciless sun of our anger,
slicing the view into black and white,
distinctly divided areas.
Not a tree, a flower or insect,
not a bird or beast in sight.
In this hostile land
nothing can survive.

But doubts and questions
can drill the rocky soil,
compassion blows in rain clouds
and seeds wouldn't recoil.
Sympathy paints rainbow colors,
understanding brings out the hues,
and the truth of the unity of all there is
that has been hidden for eons
now gains recognition,
bursts forth in a kaleidoscope
of contradictions.