A poem for Yom Kippur
This poem, Here in London, was written by actor Petra Markham in 2023 as a reaction to Israeli military strikes on Palestinians. It was read at a Stop The War demonstration in Trafalgar Square in Summer 2024 by her sister Kika Markham, also an actor.
We reproduce it here on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement in the Jewish religion.
JR
Published
by
Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi
HERE IN LONDON
by Petra Markham
7am I saw the sky lighten
A strip of blue, a smear of pink
Somewhere else, over the sea
The world is on the brink
Of war but here in London just that strip of blue.
And sleep has disappeared because the pain and grief flash nightly
on our screens
We see the people suffer,
We hear their screams
Helpless in the rawness
Helpless to move
Under the strip of blue
We try to understand the inhumanity of war
The killing that men do,
Useless words fall from my mouth
Under the strip of blue
This tragedy can only be expressed in simple words as happened in the poem.
I feel so powerless, nothing seems to stop the genocide that is taking place. We need more powerful reflection on what is happening. Thank you for this thoughtful poem