Poets’ voices are ringing out around the globe calling for people to see the truth of the genocide of Palestinians and the barbarism of the assault. Asking for reason and humaneness to be put in front. The esteemed poet laureate of Berkely, California, Rafael Jesús Gonzalez, whose work I love, sent me this poem and Martin Luther King statement both of which I wanted to share.
Palabras desnudas
Injusticia engendra violencia
violencia engendra violencia
violencia engendra injusticia —
un cuento viejo que hay que acabar.
No somos flor ni mariposa ni piedra
de silencio inocente.
Si no gritamos — ¡Alto el fuego!
somos cómplices a la matanza
y el poeta que guarda silencio
traiciona la palabra.
© Rafael Jesús González 2023
Bare Words
Injustice breeds violence
violence breeds violence
violence breeds injustice
an old tale that must come to an end.
We are not flower or butterfly or stone
of innocent silence.
If we do not cry — Cease fire!
we are accomplices to the slaughter
and the poet who keeps silent
betrays the word.
© Rafael Jesús González 2023