Reflections of Gaza: Into The Naught Of War

One absolute of war is that it gives an excruciatingly painful birth to intimacy with the bitterness of this world.
War’s victims, in both the face of death and also its wake, are acutely aware of this absolute. Here is one reflection:

Naught of War   War of Naught

Crooked!

Sides tangled   tangled sideS

Cruelly knotting   knotting cruellY

Legitimate grievances   grievances legitimatE

Invasion!

Arguments countered   countered argumentS

Persuasively compelling   compelling persuasivelY

Bloody battlefields   battlefields bloodY

Fleeing!

People shelled   shelled peoplE

Workers helping   helping workerS

Wounded, dying   dying, woundeD

Slaughtered!

Boys killed   killed boyS

Soccer playing   playing socceR

Seaside   seasidE

Onslaught!

Missiles fired   fired missileS

Exiles overcrowding   overcrowding exileS

Mattresses  mattresseS

Blood-soaked lie!

Borders sieged   sieged borderS

Droning   droninG

Heavy artillery   artillery heavY

Assault!

People denied   denied peoplE

Essentials vanishing   vanishing essentialS

Sanctuaries, cemeteries   cemeteries, sanctuarieS

Even!

Families silenced   silenced familieS

Groaning   groaninG

Neighborhoods, villages villages, neighborhoodS

Suffering!

Children held   held childreN

Foreheads kissing   kissing foreheadS

Makeshift mortuaries   mortuaries makeshifT

Death!

Victory claimed   claimed victorY

Victims enjoining   enjoining victimS

Truth, Reality   Reality, TrutH

Rise!

Nobility defended   defended nobilitY

Hearts ascending   ascending heartS

Honor, dignity   dignity, honoR

Freedom!