While reading about the so-called Israel/Palestine conflict, I became increasingly aware of the fact my stance was neither pro-Israel nor pro-Palestine (and not even pro-America) but rather pro Justice.
In experiencing it from this view point, I wrote a series of poetyr on the subject. The series title is "Four Views of Palestine as Seen from America."
The series won First Place in the Kent State Stark Diversity Award (poetry division).
I will post one poem from the series each day. This is the second poem, called What Walls Do. There was an eery feeling after writing this poem, inspired by the illegal wall in Israel, because I penned it just as certain people began clamoring for a wall to be erected along the border to Mexico.
Hope you enjoy!
What a Wall Does
divide, contain, or protect an area
built for defensive purposes
to enclose, surround, or fortify
to protect and bind
an obstacle, obstruction, pale
a bulwark, stockade
rampart, parapet
to stop, deter, restrict
restrain, hinder
they block, limit, impede
intercept, shut out
banish, refuse, quarantine
eradicate, reject, segregate
make illegal.
walls do exactly
what you would expect
them to do to the people
they divide.