Elegy for a Tyrant
An elegiac political poem confronting the human cost of war, tyranny and power. Drawing on biblical imagery, Israeli politics and the anguish of Gaza, it reflects on military ambition and the lives shattered by those who wield power.
Eretz Yisrael Hashlema
is what he pursued.
The policy he enacted
in full view of the world.
He slaughtered and inherited
the status of war criminal.
And he was greatly interested
in violence and expansion.
Who’s the fucking superpower here?
American presidents
seethed with irritation.
And when the tyrant raged –
Alon ben Idit cried.
And when the tyrant laughed –
Yehoshua’s little children
who barely stand in line
with silver pots in hand,
waiting for lentil soup
are blown to smithereens –
The people said:
Uh-main – אָמֵן.
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