america, australia, palestine
land, settlers, and genocide:
america, australia and palestine
1.
and the land was
covered with trees
pine to oak, maple to beech
to redwoods stretching upwards for thousands of years
and the first peoples were the only ones
there to harvest the land’s bounty
they nursed reeds until they were strong enough
to be cured and woven into basket threads
they prepared for the hunt
deer to buffalo
whale to otter to caribou
every part of each animal
used and honored
they made their homes
from rain forest to desert mesa
snowed tundra to ocean shores
and they danced together
in celebration and they danced
together in mourning
and yes at times
there was discord
disagreement and conflict
but yet they flourished
until the ones who called themselves settlers
the skinless ones came from Europe
claiming destiny they manifested
calling the first peoples savage animals
less than human
and showed no mercy
in the massacres
of women of children of elders
and of the warriors who sought to protect them
they created and taught the art of scalping
Invented to prove the number of indigenous kills
and when they had cleared land
of most of the ancient trees
dammed rivers and decimated buffalo
the genocide was close to complete
leaving only 2.9 percent of the population
of the first peoples
2.
and the land was
covered with green and brown
rainforest to eucalyptus forests
woodland to savanna
and the people gathered to share
dreams and nourishment
they carved masks
tattooed skin for power
and to celebrate their
clan and calling
walked their dream walks
and they loved the land
as she loved them
and they sang in celebration
and they sang in mourning
and yes at times
there was discord
disagreement and conflict
but yet they flourished
until the ones who called themselves settlers
the skinless ones came from Europe
the poor, the criminals, the unwanted
shipped from England to clear the land
and the land’s people
claiming the right as colonizers
calling the first peoples savage animals
less than human
and they showed no mercy
massacring women, children, and elders
and the warriors who sought to protect them
aiming at genocide leaving only
3.8% of their population
to live in the smallest parts
of their ancestral lands
3.
and the land was
covered with crops
olive trees and carob trees
dates and almonds
rows of wheat and barley
and the sweetest of pomegrantes
and the people prayed
facing the rising sun
kneeling to the noonday heat
backs to the evening sunset
and the children played
and laughed with abandon
and the people sang and danced
in celebration and in mourning
and yes at times
there was discord
disagreement and conflict
but yet they flourished
until the ones who called themselves settlers
the skinless ones came from Europe
claiming that their god called them chosen
naming the land’s people
savage animals
less than human
and they showed no mercy
because jehovah gave them the right
for over 75 years to
massacre women, children, elders
and the warriors who sought to protect them
to rape, to starve, to uproot
the people brown skinned like the trees
planted and nourished
and the people resisted genocide
as they were forced
from the land they had farmed
and loved for a millennium
until they found themselves confined
in an open-air prison with bombing
as a part of life, with water that
they used to swim in and drink
wash and cook with controlled
and cut off by these colonizers
who without remorse
exploded the bodies of children
eviscerated mothers
buried still breathing elders beneath the rubble
of demolished buildings
until surviving children saw dead bodies
and splattered brains in their sleepless nights
walked over a severed hand there
a flattened skull there
a still bleeding torso around the corner
and the land’s people fought back
resisted genocide while they were taught
of terror and terrorism from those
who had learned it themselves
from the nazis those settlers had become
but the people knew that
their hope lied in the world
rising up and demanding that the
carnage stop and that Palestinians
remember their olive trees
which after fifty years
roots buried underground
beneath israeli planted pine trees
grew out and began one by one
to split the pines open and beckon to the
the palestinians to
to resist and survive
to resist and survive
so that one day they could
flourish once again
A FEW THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
On November 4th and International Day of Solidarity will have demonstrations all over the world in support of Palestine. In San Francisco the demonstration will be held at the Civic Center beginning at 1PM
Consider donating to ZAMA Hope for Humanity “delivering medical lifesaving supplies to Palestinians”
Boycott these major supporters of the Israeli War effort:
Starbucks: Suing their union for a tweet showing support for Palestine. Has given financial support to Israeli Army since 2014.
McDonalds: Offers free meals to hospitals and Israeli “defense” forces.
Disney: Pledged two million dollars to Israel (Walt Disney was known to be a Nazi sympathizer.)
In-N-Out: Has posted that they stand with Israel
If you have any other strategies and/or actions you are taking, please put them in comments.