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| Mt. Bental Observation Point Photo credit: haaretz.com |
SOMETHING
LIKE SCARECROWS
Israel Pilgrimage—2006
We
drive up and up
to
what seems to be
the
top of the world
and
when we can drive
no
farther, we walk
to
the observation deck
of
an old bunker
atop
Mount Bental
in
the Golan
Black
silhouettes—
metal
die cut-outs
of
armed soldiers
rifles
cocked and ready
are
strategically situated
at
the summit
to
warn of Israel’s surefire preparedness
against
any who would attack
the
apple of God’s eye
deterrents—
like
those vigilant
floppy-hatted
scarecrows
stuffed
with straw
poised
to protect our crops
like
the flat black metal hound dogs
I’ve
seen wired to fences
in
cemeteries and parks
to
chase the Canada geese
Col.
Shalom tells us
when
he was twenty
he
was given command
of
sixty-four men, his age
It
was here—
It
was 1967
It
was the Six Day War
2000
tanks
from
Syria, Jordan
Egypt
and Iraq
versus
Israel’s 200
Israel
was victorious
It
was miraculous
…and
yet
he
still hears
haunting
cries in the night
of
a wounded brother soldier
Maude
Carolan Pych
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