Just like we have everything,
We could have had nothing.
No natural law prescribes
Hot water in the tub,
Apples in the pantry,
Body cream and lotion.

Letter to the Americas
Letter to the Americas
October 2015,
Somewhere, Asia
To: Our Overseas Counterparts,
re: your latest mass shooting
Dear New Worlders,
In relation to your current tragedy,
Our deepest condolences to you and yours.
We, old world people,
Just wanted to mention,
if we may
that
Oh, we’ve seen it all –
Armies marching from one side of our vastness to the other,
Slaughtering, raping their way in relish;
Women mourning defeat over city walls,
Jumping to oblivion;
Slaves pleading their heavens in vain,
Mad kings beheading their mothers…
We’ve seen it all,
Done it all,
Built it all –
Tzars, Emperors, Rajas,
Mystics, Prophets, Traffickers,
Harems, Bordellos, Cathedrals,
Gulags, Holy Shrines, Apartment Blocks…
Blood ran our rivers,
Infused our deserts,
Urine stank our breath,
Gunpowder our nostrils.
We mumbled holy words,
Prayers to extol morality,
Denounce mortality.
Maybe you think you are better than us,
But facts are stronger than thoughts.
This story is ours – we invented it
Own it, cherish it,
And it comes back to our sequel – you – with vengeance,
Up here in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Iraq – our current playing fields.
For some reason, you are always there too…
The pioneers we sent your shores then,
Those who started your saga,
Avowedly disowned us,
Pretended Virgin Birth,
Spontaneous Generation,
Happy Orphan-hood.
Well, enjoy your wishful thinking in the Abu Ghraibs of the world,
Afghani hospitals,
Vietnamese jungles,
City favelas…
Meanwhile, we are still here,
Numerous and combative as ever,
Old World people.
Like we’ve always been.
Deepest sympathies,
Sincerely Yours,
Undersigned:
The Old World
Written by: Orit Adar, Shittim Ashram, Negev, Sukkot 2015
Greek war image – source: https://allthatsinteresting.com/greek-wars
Picture of Jaresh, Jordan by Orit Adar, 2007
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