By Eugene Sigaloff

(pp, moderato, minacciando)
The ape:

The clever ape,
The fluent ape,
The gone-to-school well-spoken ape,

(p, più intensivo)
The babbling specious ape,
The sophistical lying ape,
The tell-it-like-it-isn’t dissembling casuistical ape,

(mp, incalzando)
The grasping unyielding unbending ape,
The whining complaining prevaricating ape,
The know-it-all self-righteous alibi-constructing always-self-justifying ape,

(mf, più mosso, più fervente)
The invading conquering oppressing tyrannizing ape,
The thieving rampaging bombarding destroying ape,
The pitiless self-pitying only-me-who-suffers benighted insensate deaf and sightless ape,

(f, veloce, ardente)
The phobic pathetic bathetic splenetic schizophrenic ape,
The fanatical implacable hypocritical paranoidal homicidal ape,
The everyone-else-is-wrong-and-only-I-am-right tormentor-of-others man-to-mud-reverted
ape,

(ff, abandonatamente)
The callous heartless heedless reckless cheerless shameless ape,
The ruthless clueless senseless restraintless compassionless merciless ape,
The taking-it-all-for-me self-absorbed always-playing-the-victim innocence-claiming
never-reflecting sanctimonious double-tongued ape:

(mf, meno moss, con calma e rassegnazione)
This hard-handed and obdurate,
Transfixed, never-learning,
Vengeful and violent
Holy Land ape. (fermata)

(p, adagio, molto espressivo)
Was it for this that mud began to crawl?
Was it for this that cells combined with cells?
Was it for this that wit and reason dawned?
Was it for this that millions were turned to ash?
Better the beasts, who kill and feed in silence.

16 January, 2009

– Eugene Sigaloff contributed this poem to PalestineChronicle.com.