The following poem, which we present with the permission of the author, is one of a collection of poems written during or shortly after Israel’s Pillar of Defense operation. The entire collection may be found on the website of The Deronda Review (www.derondareview.org) under the title ‘Our Prayers for Israel.'”

This Morning

By Michael E. Stone

This morning, rockets from Gaza,
brought bombs back to Gaza,
and more rockets back to Beer-Sheba.

The air here is washed clean by rain,
And fresh with autumn cool,
The dawn sun reddens the mountain tops,
And the flowers, innocent of human folly,
Shine with joy as their roots
Luxuriate in the black, moist soil.

There, sirens and shrapnel.