Spirit of 2048
(Written one week before October 7 attack)

Midnight is the first minute of a new day,
Our darkest hour is also the start of a new way.
Now, this may be our darkest hour –
where freedom is being choked by a strange power,
extremists that want to push their deadly agenda,
and convince people on the left and right to surrender,
to the age-old messages of divide and rule,
trying to turn us all into outraged fools.
While they can rule, they cannot divide –
because there’s something no hater can hide,
and that’s the human heart – the human soul,
the human spirit is indivisible.

Now I’m not talking about the physical world of man,
but a spiritual place I don’t yet understand,
where we’re all part of a universal energy flow,
not pawns in a game created many years ago.
This game of resources, religion and borders,
was drawn on a map under postcolonial orders,
and a backdrop of grand historical mistakes,
unholy wars, and scriptures that are fake.
So, all you dictators, terrorists, and lawmakers hear –
the Jews, Arabs, and Palestinians ain’t leaving here.
In the spiritual realm, they say we’re one and the same,
so you better quit it, and give up the game.
Misleading leaders can play the game of hate,
long after Israel is a hundred years old in 2048.
But the spirit conquers armies and always returns,
and the lesson to love must always be learned.

Peace ain’t gonna be easy to realise in my lifetime,
but the struggle goes on, our kids are the peace sign.
When people arise to see we’re all sisters and brothers,
then we can be wise and learn from each other.
We can share resources, study on the same courses,
dismantle this polarised system, share our ancient wisdom.
But when a leader knows we need to end hate,
some lunatic comes with a gun to assassinate,
and although they killed Dr. King, Lennon and Rabin,
in a secret way their spirit lives on within,
in the heart of peace-loving humans everywhere.
Today we’ve got more than our fair share –
with Hamas, Hezbollah, Ayatollah, Assad,
pick an enemy, there’s many to be had.
Though I can’t change theirs or our leader’s lies,
I can look my neighbours in their eyes,
and see they’re a child of humanity, just like me,
being fooled by their divide-and-rule policy.

What I’m talking about is making peace in our home,
not hiding behind rockets or an Iron Dome.
That’s a short-term tactic to defend and attack,
real lasting peace needs a different dialogue track,
it’s a longer road that’s off the political map,
where we’ve gotta work for peace, we have to hack.
We have to educate children and bring compassion back.
So I’m visualising a vision for 2048 –
may it be a time of healing in a once hate-filled state.
Inner peace has to be the goal of this generation,
acting upon our ancestors’ wisdom and revelation.
In 2048, inshallah, if it’s meant to be,
I’ll be the ripe old age of seventy.
And from writing today, that’s in 25 years time,
so let’s start by healing our tormented minds.

Fight or Flight

While the 18-21 year-olds fight,
I was searching for flights.
But there are no flights –
So we all have to fight.

A Red Line

(Written one week after the October 7 attack)

The builders have stopped coming.
The borders have been closed.
A line has been crossed.
A red line.
But what does red signify?
Danger, anger, blood?
Devils. That’s it, devils.
The devils crossed a red line a long time ago.
Now the builders have stopped coming.
The butchers have no more meat.
And the mothers keep crying.

Turn the Clocks Back

This October all the clocks were turned back.

They turned back to 21 Sep 1941 in Vinnitsa, Ukraine.
They turned back to 15 May 1948 in British Mandate Palestine. 
They turned back to 26 August 1972 at the Munich Olympics.
They turned back to 6 October 1973 in Sinai and the Golan.
They turned back to 16 September 1982 in Sabra and Shatila, Beirut.
They turned back to 4 November 1995 in Rabin Square, Tel Aviv.
They turned back to 1 June 2001 at the Dolphinarium, Tel Aviv.
They turned back to 12 July 2006 on the Lebanese border.
They turned back to 16 July 2014 on Gaza beach.

Every time the clocks go back,
we gain an hour of sleep,
but we’ve all been sleeping too long,
and while we slept, we let the war-makers in,
and now we can’t wake up,
from our bad dreams.