“Speak out for those who cannot speak,
for the rights of all the destitute.”
Proverbs 31:8
this diary is dedicated to all who suffer because of war and other disasters
we honor courage in all its forms
special thanks to ricardo, vivian, and cho for pointing to today’s poem
please read vivian’s Charged with Possession of a Conscience.
cross-posted at DailyKos, Booman Tribune, European Tribune, and My Left Wing.
image and poem below the fold
An Iraqi mother consoles her daughter, Raddaf Ahmad, 4, injured in a roadside bomb explosion, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 12, 2006. Bomb blasts, rocket and gunfire killed at least 10 people and injured 23 in the Iraqi capital as the work week got under way Sunday, police said.
(AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
Damage
By Kamau Daaood
there is a child’s hand
in the street
it is small
it should be attached
to a three or four-year-old
you cannot tell if it is the hand
of a Palestinian child
or Israeli child
You cannot tell if it was blown here
from a suicide bomb blast
or shelling from an Israeli tank
it’s just a small bloody hand in the grey of the street
someone weeps
insane with the weight of this image
someone who has held that hand
taught the child to count fingers on that hand
in Hebrew or Arabic
there is a baby’s hand
in the middle of this Middle Eastern road
and you can’t tell if the child’s parents
read Quran or Torah
it’s just there
small and bloody
without a smile or laughter attached to it
so look away
we are told
it’s just
unfortunate
collateral damage
– – –
put a meaningful magnet on your car or metal filing cabinet
read Ilona’s important new blog – PTSD Combat
view the pbs newshour silent honor roll (with thanks to jimstaro at booman.)
take a private moment to light one candle among many (with thanks to TXSharon)
support Veterans for Peace
support the Iraqi people
support the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC)
support CARE
support the victims of torture
remember the fallen
support Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors – TAPS
support Gold Star Families for Peace
support the fallen
support the troops
support Iraq Veterans Against the War
support Military families Speak Out
support the troops and the Iraqi people
read This is what John Kerry did today, the diary by lawnorder that prompted this series
read Riverbend’s Bagdhad Burning
read Dahr Jamail’s Iraq Dispatches
read Today in Iraq
witness every day