Breaking the Silence – A Poem

Protest against the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of Antisemitism in London. (Photo: Video Grab)

By Timothy McCord

There’s come a time

when it becomes a crime

to speak truth of another’s.

When false claims damage good names

and cause an outcry:

the baying for blood and broken bones

so others are shown, beyond doubt,

how fast the axe can fall.

 

And each claim that cynically aims

to wound and defame

helps secure the silence

surrounding the violence

suffered and sustained.

 

Yet if you care to listen,

you can still hear the calls,

behind barriers,

check-points and prison walls:

a demand for freedom that must echo

and echo across different shores,

for silence to be broken

so truth can be heard.

 

Perhaps then will the bells

for justice chime, and the blight

of apartheid, from river to sea,

be cut out like a cancer

and the deep wounds healed.

– Timothy McCord has a passion for writing poetry. He lives in France, where he taught English for many years. Timothy was born and grew up in Britain, and became politically active there through his involvement in the anti-apartheid movement. This poem was written in response to the pressure being put on organizations to accept the IHRA definition and working examples of Antisemitism, and the cynical claims of Antisemitism that are being used to silence support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel’s apartheid regime. He contributed it to The Palestine Chronicle.

– Timothy McCord has a passion for writing poetry. He lives in France, where he taught English for many years. Timothy was born and grew up in Britain, and became politically active there through his involvement in the anti-apartheid movement. He contributed it to The Palestine Chronicle.

(The Palestine Chronicle is a registered 501(c)3 organization, thus, all donations are tax deductible.)
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