Poetry list
looking east
Written during the Israeli–Gaza conflict in October 2023 after a visit to Haddon Hall and its chapel with recently restored east window
reproaches in love and glass
the scene is far from clear
incomplete in its extent and
mutilated in form the blindness
and the light obscure yet howl
blinded captive pierced and
nailed in gaza and outside
the walls on lonely friday
hill so many in the wrong place
familiarity is faint the heavenly
places indistinct and heralds
depleted to a winged man and
lion even the light darkens the
scene and blanches out the
meaning mass and velocity
produce momentum gravitas
futility of power unrestrained
sacrifice alone forgiveness
beyond limit here with grinding
mill of time the prisoner fails to
pull the pillars down but dies
alone and forever in time to
reach our eastward eyes all
pointless unrelenting spite
and hurt whose power across
the ages consumes us all and
now all life extinguished soon
unremembered save by the
gracious beauty of the face and
promise now exposed to every
moment every life born and
unborn borne through the
darkened glass to face to
face look down across within
and bring us the hope the
death drenched love shattered
peace which guides each uneven
stone and step o my people
what have I done to you eli
eli lama sabachthani
© Neil Thompson 2023