Vox Populi
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Emily De Ferrari: Mark the Day
October 7, 2024
measure the time
since the last poem
since the lost word
measure the unanswered prayer
mark the silence
mark the scream
measure the time
since the first pogrom
since the last pogrom
since the first justification
since the last justification
measure the number of cigarettes
snuffed in the ashtray
measure the names on the wall
measure the names not on the wall
note the number of ads
before the end of the show
note the signatures on the bombs
note the bombs
measure the pints of blood
not yet transfused
mark the number of deaths disputed
measure the deaths not yet disputed
measure the hairs on your chin
the stars in the sky
measure the space of tolerance
mark its boundaries on a page
torn from any holy book
measure the ink in any treaty
the white space between each letter
tear the meaning from the page
mark the meaning
with a fine chisel
on any stone thrown
-~~~
Emily De Ferrari is a poet and longtime activist on peace and justice issues. She lives in Pittsburgh.
Copyright 2024 Emily De Ferrari
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Emily de Ferrari, thank you. You have found a way to approach (and aim) the questions swirling in our heads and hurting our hearts. This is an important poem. I’ve printed it to carry with me, for all the thoughts it gives rise to, for the quickening of anger it brings, for the spirit of witness it represents. Once again, thank you.
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Her incantatory rhythm imitates the back and forth rocking motion of people in grief. I find this poem incredibly moving.
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This word-cry of admonitions deserves our moment of contemplative silence….Then it begs us to recognize that political violence so often leads to grief and anger, here transposed into a cascade of pleadings for us to mark, measure, and witness the signs of our times.
Implicit in it is a series of questions: what should we do, what can we do, what will we do. The poem is a good place to start uncovering the answers.
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Yes, thank you, Jim.
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For Gaza…..for all of us……for humanity
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Yes
>
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Oh the wailing. Oh the price.
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Decades of oppression have led to this tragic climax.
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