Channel Esther: Israel and Palestine

by Esther Cohen Even if you are not obsessed with Israel and Palestine (I am) even if you’ve never been to Gaza or Jerusalem (I have) even if you don’t dream at least once a month for many years of what you once saw even just an orange grove or the sea of course there are seas and orange groves in other places even if you didn’t go at twenty to a country full of hope and plans rich with the languages of poems where many arms were wide open even if you accepted newspaper wisdom how hard for all of this to finally stop i still after all these many years i still believe in people themselves no matter what we are every one of us more or less the same and no one wants a child to die we are all heart broken heartsick these painful days even if you are not (I am) a hopeful type it’s hard not to imagine not to pray even if you don’t pray nelson mandela moses a beautiful strong woman in a wide brimmed hat will lead us all away