David RL Moore

Oh Jerusalem, Why hast thou forsaken them?

by David RL Moore

Tuesday 5th March 2024 11:03 am (first posted Sunday 3rd March 2024 9:35 am)

In The Church of The Holy Sepulchre

Kneeling's quite the thing,

that Slab is not a replica

it was bled on by a King.

The grovelling and the weeping

the wailing at the wall

is well within the keeping

of doing bugger all...

for the dead whose numbers rising

are stacked against the sea

their leaders compromising

definitions of the free.

Pilgrimage and worship

tourism and tat,

their thorny jagged crowns slip

at calvary's thunderclap.

No miracle of deliverance

no parting of the Sea

just continued cruel indifference

to whatever there must be.

https://wolfgarwords.com/2024/03/05/oh-jerusalem-why-hast-thou-foresaken-them/

🌷(7)

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Comments

David RL Moore

Thu 7th Mar 2024 12:33

Thank you Ray,

and thank you for the recent flowers.

Almost Ironically I adore Jerusalem and its rich history. It is difficult to dislike the land which is now called Israel by those who administrate it. I love Ramallah and Hebron, even Jericho...all these places are tainted by the divisions deeply entrenched within them, many of them existing in occupations. It is a beautiful place riven by its complex unforgiving history.

I have no idea how things might improve given the current divisions.

raypool

Thu 7th Mar 2024 11:07

I think this captures the essence of you and your hard earned views based on the worst kind of human nature in action. It really hits home on truth and drives in the nail of the coffin of hypocrisy that seems to rule all who rule . The poem is cynical in the best possible way. Ray (Welcome back!)

David RL Moore

Tue 5th Mar 2024 11:19

Thank you Stephen,

Very kind of you to be so complimentary.

I have attached a link to the piece which provides a video and some explanation of my thinking on the matter of current indifference.

I also link it here for convenience.

https://wolfgarwords.com/2024/03/05/oh-jerusalem-why-hast-thou-foresaken-them/

Stephen Gospage

Tue 5th Mar 2024 08:14

This is beautifully and sincerely written, David. It stands on its own as a piece of art.

David RL Moore

Tue 5th Mar 2024 07:15

Thank you John.

John Coopey

Mon 4th Mar 2024 19:25

Just a poem, David? It’s a beast of a poem.

David RL Moore

Mon 4th Mar 2024 11:28

Thank you for your response Uilleam.

In response to your comment and with hope of forebearance of those not interested I would add the following.

As you have observed the title of the poem is meant as a direct reference to the alleged last words of Christ. I was going to call the piece "Eli eli lama sabachthani" but I thought that might be a little too obtuse of me.

Regarding conspiracy theories, they proliferate and are easily manufactured. The basic elements of the unravelling of what is or once was referred to as "The Holy Land" are easily enough visible to anyone with their eyes open, although complex and labyrinthine.

The Abrahamic religions do possess an historic element of disregard when it comes to the suffering of children of an alternate god. Indeed the Roman Catholic Church entertained in some of its leadership the sheltering of Nazi War criminals in respect of their crimes against the Jewish people. Beyond that we could track back to the Jihadist Crusades of The Knights Templar, a masonic order the remnants of which still exist today. You'll see English Football and Rugby supporters proudly mimicking their attire whislt downing creamy pints..."Forgive them Father they know not what they do" and niether do they care, evidently.

My point is, if we are all children of god where are we when those of some other god are suffering. In fact where is god?

My personal experiance of Jerusalem and its Disney like attraction to "believers" has very much coloured my opinion.

Of course I do recognise the sincerely held belief of thousands in their scripture, but where are they when it comes to action. Turning the other cheek? a blind eye might be a better analogy.

Anyway, my thanks to you and to those who sent flowers.

I've just reminded myself of an insightful Jewish story regarding the telling of a joke about the holocaust, I hope you will indulge it.

A Jewish survivor of the Holocaust dies and goes to heaven. Somewhat suprised to find God himself at the gates to eternity he asks if he can relate a joke about his time in Auschwitz. With some reluctance God says yes OK if you must. After the telling of the joke God relates that he didn't find it funny... the response comes,

"Yes, I guess you had to be there"

It's just a poem.

Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh

Mon 4th Mar 2024 10:37

Thank you David.
At the moment of his death, the crucified Jesus is said to have cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?".

The answer to which, as you you suggest, is, of course, that those whose God IS business and power (or any combination of the two) simply do not care about the suffering (including that of the Israeli citizens) being caused in their names.

At this very moment, those citizens -Jews -are angrily protesting against Netanyahu, on the streets with placards protesting against his involvement in the spending of Billions? of dollars, to enable Hamas to destroy what was once an imminent peace process.

But of course, That's all an "Anti-Semitic conspiracy trope" spread around by "Christians" such as me...yeah right!

David RL Moore

Mon 4th Mar 2024 09:52

My question here is to ask the multiple seats of religion camped in Jerusalem why their figureheads and some intermediaries for God are not placing themselves in harms way to protect those they would surely regard as gods children.

Why is the Pope not under the bombardment of Gaza, where are the religious defenders. Where is their great faith?. Religion and humanity as separate as ever they were. The man called Christ would surely have placed himself in harms way.

Of course it's business and power. And then there is the everyday evil which men do without the need of gods.

This scribble clearly seeks to ask the question where are the religious peacemakers and defenders of all gods children. It does not seek to lay blame for the cause of resultant circumstanses at their temple doors. That is some other matter entirely.

David

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