The Telegenic Dead

“[T]hey use telegenically-dead Palestinians for their cause…  the more dead the better.”

–Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, July 20, 2014

 

The leg is in the street.

Roughly attached & delicately

Arranged, (though

Shredded in between)

The torso lies quietly on the sidewalk

In front of the café.

The gray face & glass-like eyes

Looking “just so” at Heaven.

Nearby, her son, probably 4

(Or at least he was 4) has

Only one sandal on & the

Dirt covers his body in a delicate

Wave of sandy colored dustings

Distributed properly.

(Thankfully,) his face is buried beneath

The impeccably coiffed black-red mass

That once was his head.

Across the street lie more,

Posed just right to earn one´s immediate attention.

They work so hard it seems,

To get each pose, each positioned limb

“Just right” for the photogs and reporters.

Apparently, one can’t let up for a moment

Or they may appear

Simply dead.

Gaza works so hard these days

To get those images right.

José M. Tirado is a Puertorican poet, and writer living in Hafnarfjorður, Iceland, known for its elves, “hidden people” and lava fields. His articles and poetry have been featured in CounterPunch, Cyrano´s Journal, The Galway Review, Dissident Voice, The Endless Search, Op-Ed News, The International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, and others. He can be reached at jm.tirado@yahoo.com.

José M. Tirado is a Puertorican poet, Buddhist priest and political writer living in Hafnarfjorður, Iceland, known for its elves, “hidden people” and lava fields. His articles and poetry have been featured in CounterPunch, Cyrano´s Journal, The Galway Review, Dissident Voice, La Respuesta, Op-Ed News, among others. He can be reached at tirado.jm@gmail.com.