Now you know
Roy Brown RamírezOriginal | Il testo originale della poesia di June Jordan tratto da "Directed... |
NOW YOU KNOW One hundred and thirty five thousand palestinians in Beirut, but I didn’t know and nobody told me and what could I do or say, anyway? They said you shot their London ambassador and when that was not true they said “so what?”. They said you shelled their northern villages and when UN forces reported “that was not true”, because your side of the cease-fire was holding, they said “so what?”. They said they simply wanted to carve a twenty five mile buffer zone, and then they ravaged your water supplies, your electricity, your hospitals, your schools, your highways and byways all the way north to Beirut. They blew up your homes and demolished the grocery stores and blocked the Red Cross and took away doctors to jail, and they cluster bombed girls and boys, whose bodies swelled purple and black into twice their original size. They said something about “never again” and then they made close to one million human beings homeless in less than three weeks and they killed or maimed 40,000 of your men and your women and your children. They said they were victims. They said you were Arabs. They called your apartments and gardens guerrilla strongholds. Then they told you to leave, didn’t you read the leaflets that they dropped from their hotshot fighter jets? They told you to go. Yes, I did know it was the money I earned as a poet that paid for the bombs and the planes and the tanks that they used to massacre your family. | APOLOGIES TO ALL THE PEOPLE IN LEBANON Dedicated to the 60,000 Palestinian men, women, and children who lived in Lebanon from 1948-1983. I didn’t know and nobody told me and what could I do or say, anyway? They said you shot the London Ambassador and when that wasn’t true they said so what They said you shelled their northern villages and when U.N. forces reported that was not true because your side of the cease-fire was holding since more than a year before they said so what They said they wanted simply to carve a 25 mile buffer zone and then they ravaged your water supplies your electricity your hospitals your schools your highways and byways all the way north to Beirut because they said this was their quest for peace They blew up your homes and demolished the grocery stores and blocked the Red Cross and took away doctors to jail and they cluster-bombed girls and boys whose bodies swelled purple and black into twice the original size and tore the buttocks from a four month old baby and then they said this was brilliant military accomplishment and this was done they said in the name of self-defense they said that is the noblest concept of mankind isn’t that obvious? They said something about never again and then they made close to one million human beings homeless in less than three weeks and they killed or maimed 40,000 of your men and your women and your children But I didn’t know and nobody told me and what could I do or say, anyway? They said they were victims. They said you were Arabs. They called your apartments and gardens guerrilla strongholds. They called the screaming devastation that they created the rubble. Then they told you to leave, didn’t they? Didn’t you read the leaflets that they dropped from their hotshot fighter jets? They told you to go. One hundred and thirty-five thousand Palestinians in Beirut and why didn’t you take the hint? Go! There was the Mediterranean: You could walk into the water and stay there. What was the problem? I didn’t know and nobody told me and what could I do or say, anyway? Yes, I did know it was the money I earned as a poet that paid for the bombs and the planes and the tanks that they used to massacre your family But I am not an evil person The people of my country aren't so bad You can expect but so much from those of us who have to pay taxes and watch American TV You see my point; I’m sorry. I really am sorry. |