Who will call him Darling?
Who will call him Dad?
Fifty miles away in Jericho
As bloodsongs trail wreckage and sand
Backgrounds cleared of photos
No more daily phone calls at the same time
Tears of a Gazan father
Tears that will know no rest
In describing the number of his dead
A news outlet uses the word ‘allege’
Three, Thirteen, Twenty-Three, One Hundred and Three
Who can know the true number, when bodies lie scattered in fragments?
“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”
Though clouds turn to bone
And the Promised Land is bombarded to ruins
Remind him, remind him
That he is forever her Darling
He is forever their Dad
Bernadette Richards is from Cape Town. She writes bits and bobs, including songs, and appreciates diverse forms of art.
‘Jericho’ is written in response to this article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68400463