(I wrote a poem about Palestine
and was asked by a Fringe Performer
if I had ever been.
Mistakenly I wanted to back up the poem
from the future
but apparently the poem can stand alone.
it was not to be…
true to nature I give up easily…
yes! yes! beautiful loser!)
Freedom of Movement
I was scared in Cairo without any of the objects I use to connect to the earth.
I did have a few possessions, slippers and some books, my cloths and my luggage.
I misplaced my visa and would yell stop tormenting me
in the large hostel with twenty foot ceilings.
I couldn’t sleep as the room I took was on a main thorough fare
cars talking through the night,
The conference was over and the chances of getting into Gaza
seemed slim to non-existent…
so in a fit of insomnia and diarrhea
I changed my ticket
luxury of choice.
weak from the heat and tired.
young child come home
My attempts to reach Palestine
were a few enquiries.
spoke with an American who worked for the government
failing with the Bedouin in the Sinai Peninsula.
They had resorted to growing marijuana
which I thought was a good thing.
He said the Carter people were having a long time getting into Gaza
required three levels of government clearance
and an invitation from the other side.
I had no relevant documentation.
I spoke with Oxfam
I knew very little about Palestine
If the intent is to draw attention to the plight of the Palestine people
then what tactic would be best employed?
A young intellectual studying applied linguistics
at the Cairo University said
two if his friends had gone through tunnels
but in seriousness I was not motivated.
A young activist was unsure whether she would visit Palestine
and I had never considered the question…
Until exposed to the patronizing nature of NGO’s
and the strange spectacle of other humans
photographing other humans who don’t have cameras
and are in liberal speak disadvantaged
one assumes privileged position is natural
A super structure of the viewed and the unseen.
The final humiliation
not only do we make them live
in the garbage of imperialism
but we also take images
to remind of us of our sin…
poor gutted peoples unite
against cruel globalization
college kid in jail
for a week or two
quickly ceases
to be an anarchist
a revolutionary in a third world
i know nothing of…
economically, politically, socially…
to succeed one must follow the logic of capitalism
which is corporations personified…
a third world revolutionary
wax on romantically…
In a rush the tactile world disappears
The unseen being the poverty tourists
pointing their cameras as guns
exposing the cruelty of their system…
not kind or fair
compromises humanity
in the best sense.
thwarted but I can continue with my mission (what mission?)
I regressed back into a terror
nights without sleep
or good nutrition
the Egyptian vendors were hungry
Sitting in the room with the teachers union
after the other foreigners had left.
The leaders speak in harsh tones
and the other twenty look on exhausted.
One who speaks English turns to me and says
we do not belong here
referring to the hotel where
the nightly fee is close to their monthly salary.
the vast gap between the rich and the poor
intentionally thwarted by the liberal class
who somehow believe we can muddle
through an evolutionary change
with reports and dialogue
war at this stage of technological advancement
Unfortunately our way of life depends on their suffering…
as we all know the west takes more than her fair share.
In Amsterdam
Talking it up…gonna solve the Palestine conflict is a delusional thing to say…
but the conversation should be about concrete solutions (niave).
Now the dialogue is about the narrative
and how we need to be patient and long distance runners.
The capitalist are marching and Buffets quip about the elite killing us
may require more than a wait and see attitude…
life has been good in the west for a couple of generations.
At a coffee house I smoke a joint and speak
with two English guys about the goodness in the world…
or at least say David Beckham is overrated
and didn’t make much of a splash in the USA.
He too overshot carrying capacity.
The Conference Kind
of Went as follows:
The Growth of the Cotton Industry
went hand in hand
with the slave trade
in the American south,
that used a “free” wage system
or
imperialism continues
NYMEX and the IPE insist all oil transactions are in US dollars
which is in turn backed by the military and perversely with oil.
A list to do in Egypt
turn off camera each time
more city life around Egypt
good interview with June and me
take video of other people…include people
shots of Egypt city scene
keep camera still
do video entry every day
check video-organize your self
get some inspiration
