An Absence in Jerusalem

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I have created this group as a safe place to discuss and share the HUMAN experience of the Isreali-Palestinian situation. As political as the foundation of the conflict may be, this group is a place to cross the divide in human terms.

Location: global
Members: 130
Latest Activity: Dec 1, 2011

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Voices of Silence

This group is directly inspired from the reaction in iPeace today on the posting of the poem An Absence in Jerusalem. The poem was written following the death of Yassar Arafat and was the expression of how the middle east war zone, which shaped my childhood and adolescence just as profoundly as the apartheid violence in which I grew up, had cut into the 'shoreline of my heart' and my perception of violence, war, aggression, dissidence, terrorism, repression, propaganda, ideology, alienation and dehumanisation of the soul.
iPeace and mepeace live along side one another in parallel universes and it is my goal to facilitate here, a lounge in which the individuals may once more find resonance and meaning. As a poet, the significance how this poem, which is my personal reflection on the tragedy of what is being lost of humanity in this particular, but in any conflict, touched individuals here today, signifies that people are hungry to share, to be heard, to be embraced, to forgive and be forgiven. More than this, Absence in Jerusalem, is a pause in the window of each of our lives, a moment to reflect on our own fears, prejudices, desires and hopes. I would like the poem to be the meeting place of tolerance, discussion, compassion but most of all, a reflection of how fragile our humanity is irrespective of where ever we live, how ever we suffer, love, learn, celebrate and aspire to be the best we were born to become. (September 24, 2008 at 10:18pm)

(Thanks to co administrator of this group David Gould for first posting the poem here..)
Voices of Silence
…of an absence in Jerusalem..

The voices of silence
say it was an easy slaughter:
not even the grapevines
turned their heads away
in quiet dismay....

Skins, perturbed like sour cream
line the edges of the mind
aligned with beds asleep
across the horizon barren of shepards
and their sheep...

Young smiles run dry
and pave your homecoming shunning
thick embraces sodden in the sap of persuasion
where fattened promises drop like
brittle on their tongues

There of a past we no longer occupy
we stole the urgency in their eyes
and from the hip faked such loving
between slack breasts
they could not see the hate for coming

like missiles from birthing crotch
that shook the desert into frozen heat
turning anger into swarming plagues
and life into wet ash cursedly buried in bare feet

And we turn our backs in shame
Up against the executioner’s wall
But all tenderness hung out from the gallows
Fall as dead snakes wrapped in bougainvillea
Fuchsia against the inevitable tongue in foreign drawl

And in the shadows of jerusalem
Voices of the slaughter
speak in the silence of tomorrow
steerless as gazes lost on a winter's chill
tugging up at a defunct sun
and grapevines die for lack of love and innuendo.
©R.Sigel from The Roundabout Years.

https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/96972211?profile=original

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Comment by Dani Marael on September 29, 2008 at 10:10pm: This group idea is wonderful ... the name attracted me - called me to come here together with you. The desire to bring the peace and love back to Jerusalem ... it is in me heart since aeons. Words cannot express what I am feeling ... and I am so happy to be in Israel soon. From 30th October - 1st November there is a international workshop in Neve Shalom Peace Village half between Jerusalem and Tel Áviv - "To the depth of the Lotus Heart" - For more information you can look at www.nvisible.com - events.
The lotus of love will be created in the inner and also in the outer world - we will make a huge lotus made of stone in the village, so it can be seen from an helicopter or so.
I am so in love with Jerusalem
DaniMaRaEl

Comment by Kerry Hennigan on September 29, 2008 at 1:05pm: This forum is a wonderful idea. Lands sacred to so many people should be a place of peace and freedom for all.

Has anyone read the book "Message In A Bottle" by Valerie Zenatti? It is about a young Israeli woman who strikes up an internet correspondence with a young Palestinian man. If you're interested you might like to check out my on-line review at http://www.travelbeat.com.au/br-text-aug2008-b-message-in-a-bottle.html

Would be nice if we could sow similar seeds of peace on this website.

Comment by Hans Mertens on September 29, 2008 at 11:42am: In a land where all hope is lost and so many efforts has been made for peace
we must go on in positive thinking about peace in a near future.

Peace from Holland,

Hans Mertens
www.hansmertens.nl

Comment by David Gould on September 28, 2008 at 3:34am: Changing The World

I want the world to change,
away from needless war;
that only bring us sorrow,
separation, distress and pain.

I want the world to change,
for freedom to find its voice.
I would like to see the burden
of oppression all lifted now.

I want the world to change,
for hunger to be no more.
I do not want the greedy
to eat another’s food.

I want the world to change
for all political prisoners
to be freed from torment
and loose their heavy chains.

I want to change my world
but what can one man do?
I am so insignificant alone
with little power of my own.

“We want to change the world”
so swells the mighty roar,
of us all joined together
to shake the seats of power.

By David Gould © 18th August 2008

Comment by Shahdan Assilun on September 28, 2008 at 1:45am: wow thats great .. thanks Donna for you invitation

Comment by Eyal Raviv on September 27, 2008 at 5:42pm: Glad to be here.

Comment by Harshil Filippo Chiostri on September 27, 2008 at 4:07pm: All my love to you all..... i feel so small in front of just the smell of all that pain, but from here i can only send perfume of flowers, colors of light, all that is gentle, to every heart, tyrant or victim... May we fill the heart of people, so that guns are left in the ground....

Comment by almohand on September 27, 2008 at 12:05am: salam alekom
Jerusalem i like you so mutch i miss you
its for all people

Comment by Buthaina Al-Othman on September 25, 2008 at 9:38pm: Hi, Renee! And thanks for creating this group; I think we all ( people living in the middle east) need this kind of group. Right now, I am in Rhodes, Greece where I'll be presenting at a Peace Conference organized by the Women without Frontiers organization. No politics for sure, and my part together with my virtual co-presenters, who are my colleagues and friends from the community of practice online Webheads in Action, would focus on how we, teachers of languages, can promote peace in our classrooms through cross-cultural projects online. The point is to connect our classes worldwide to talk about our different cultures trying to understand these differences in order to reduce misunderstanding and increase communication that promote peace in our cultures. I hope that things work in terms of technology here in this beautiful Greek island so that we can share our work with the world!

Love & Peace!
Buthaina (aka Buth) :)

Comment by ghrorg on September 25, 2008 at 8:59pm: thank you donna for the invitation .. im glad to join your group... my congratualations.... mabrouk .... mazal tof