decomprehension

(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