A Fatal Mistake – v2

flush with power
international respect
the accolades, the praise
thrown to the wolves

getting ahead of himself
a raw grab for power
his heel in their face
becoming the dictator

his people responding
a fatal mistake
his overreach stunning
chaos to keep

the square overflowing
the voices crying
what of the revolution
the quest for freedom


=====
November 27, 2012
power grab by Egyptian President Morsi
giving himself more power
and the reaction of the people of Egypt,
in demonstration all over the country
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/27/egypt-protesters-descend-tahrir-square
&
November 26, 2012
“Innocent Blood – v4”
after rereading original inspiration for the poem
Edited November 23, 2012
“Innocent Blood – v3”
November 23, 2012
“Innocent Blood – v2”
after writing several poems on this topic
http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/search/label/Gaza
&
announcement of a cease fire
between Gaza (Hamas) and Israel
November 21, 2012
&
the tragedy of the fighting in Gaza and Israel
and the source of the conflict
in the division of Ishmael and Isaac
the sons of Abraham
&
original poem
January 14 and 15, 2009
“Innocent Blood”
Matthew 2:13-23
and words of Bishop Peter Weaver,
in his Partners in Ministry email
1/14/09,
“♦ THE TERRIBLE VIOLENCE IN THE GAZA STRIP is deeply disturbing. Hundreds of innocent civilians, including children are being caught in the crossfire. Last week, after we celebrated Epiphany (Jan. 6, the magi visiting Bethlehem) I thought about the rest of Matthew 2 where Herod sets out to kill all the "innocents" under two and Mary, Joseph and Jesus head for Egypt....probably through Gaza! Both the Palestinians and Israelis fear and react to violence from the other side and to a long history of threats and actions that are indelibly etched in their memories. Tragically, every additional death and injustice etches new memories in new generations who will grow up with even more hatred and determination to "win", no matter what the means of terrorism or oppression. "An eye for an eye, leaves everyone blind"
How can peace with justice be found?
A Quaker saying, based in the Gospel, points the way. "There can be no peace without reconciliation. There can be no reconciliation without forgiveness. There can be no forgiveness without giving up the hope of a better yesterday." In other words, holding on to the deeply etched bitterness of the past prevents us from embracing a new future of peace. Nations do it. Families do it. Churches do it. Pray that we might all become peacemakers. Pray for the land we call "holy."”
&
January 5, 2012
Silence about Bahrain by the US government
&
Poem, “Honest with Our Friends”
http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2011/05/honest-with-our-friends.html
&
Speech May 19, 2011 by United States President Barack Obama
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/05/2011519145837856559.html on the Arab Spring of 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/mar/22/middle-east-protest-interactive-timeline
and how our country will chart a new course
holding up the people more
and not just focusing on our narrower
financial and strategic interests
&
March 17, 2011
UN Security Council approval of sanctions against Libya
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/17/libya.civil.war/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1
&
calling on President Obama and the world
to act in the Middle East, especially in Libya and Bahrain,
to stand with the people
yearning to breathe free
and not worrying about the results,
that it is always right to stand for basic human rights
&
on the transformations since the beginning of December -
all the protests in Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Syria,
Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Palestinian Territories, Djibouti, Mauritania, Senegal, etc.
and
especially the resignation of Hosni Mubarak
February 11, 2011
&
and the jubilance in Tahrir Square
versus the bloodshed in Bahrain and Libya, etc.
February 18, 2011
&
hearing claim by President Obama 2/15/2011
in a news conference that when history books tell it
we will be seen as being on the right side of history
in how the United States responded
&
Post on Twitter by Wael Ghonim
http://twitter.com/Ghonim
“Our Revolution was like Wikipedia”
http://twitter.com/Ghonim/status/37306340103688192
http://techpresident.com/blog-entry/ghonim-our-revolution-wikipedia
February 14, 2011
&
Post on Twitter by Wael Ghonim
http://twitter.com/Ghonim
“This is Revolution 2.0: No one was a hero because everyone was a hero.”
http://twitter.com/Ghonim/status/36708161440190464
February 13, 2011
and see
http://www.facebook.com/raymond.a.foss#!/notes/safiyah-fosua/a-prayer-for-the-people-of-egypt-february-3-2011/10150134548244274
A Prayer for the People of Egypt (February 3, 2011)
by Safiyah Fosua
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=719089081

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 21,640+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.