As Then…So Now?

Michael Peach

Moriah Mount,
Site of a complex
Supposed to be sanctuary
For God and man
And symbol of Self and womb,
Appears to many
Of its current tenants,
Who elsewhere have been defeated,
And other opponents
Of the Occupation
To be on the brink of siege.
Is history,
With an ironic twist,
About to be repeated?

Then, at this stage
Of the conflict,
Roman soldiers watched
With naked eyes
From Antonia Fort and Mount Scopus.
Now Israelis scan
The worshippers
With invasive, hi-tech devices
Set in outer space
And on the spot;
While Jewish zealots plot
To resurrect the Temple.
Like their Muslim counterparts –
Kindred shadow souls –
Who wish Israel deleted,
They think their plan
Will surely succeed
Because it’s a tryst
With history.

Hubristic fools!
When faced with being hijacked
Or cheated,
Regarding the present
And posterity,
History as Time
Is merciless and swift.
Soon, I fear,
Unless these peoples find
A way to live in peace,
While Abraham the Prophet
Tosses and turns in his tomb,
The seed
Of Ishmael and Esau,
Isaac and Jacob
Will be fatally
Depleted.

Jerusalem
27 July 2017

 

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