Herewith, the latest selection from dusted-off published poetry and short fiction, circa 1970s vintage and beyond....
The Hills of Lebanon
It rained all last night
and the mild weather has melted
our mountains of snow.
Sitting at the breakfast table,
we watch the sun come up;
can see the birds stirring.
We listen to the newscast,
a correspondent at the scene
who reports that a division
of the Israeli army
is deployed in southern Lebanon.
Their aim: to wipe out PLO
strongholds in Fatahland -
the guerrillas dedicated to
liberation, exulting in border attacks,
celebrating their commitment to jihad.
Behind the dispassionate voice,
memory of the latest atrocity,
accented by the sounds of shells
erupting from Israeli ships off
the Lebanese coast near Tyre.
And now he says he can hear
Phantom jets overhead, skyflares
lighting the surrounding hills.
We drink our coffee and listen to the gunfire,
all the sounds of war, the fury we have
read about but never lived.
Out there the sun rises and
the hills stand washed in light
while the surf laps the beaches.
Out there, guerrillas have abandoned camp
long ago and villagers face the invasion.
Out there, people die.
c. 1978 Rita Rosenfeld
published in Samisdat
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