The Truth Will Come Too Late

A poem I wish one day will only describe the past…

They locked me up in a prison cell for atrocities I didn’t commit. I screamed and cried, “I’m innocent, I will fight this and never quit!”

Countless guards walked past my wailing, pretending they couldn’t hear. They, the media, the world refuse to listen, their opinions are what I fear.

“I have the facts, the evidence… Don’t you want to see?!” But they already made up their minds, they were not going to change what they thought of me.

I finally let go of the metal bars, my hands were cold and raw. Desperate and scared, I took a step back, I couldn’t believe what I saw…

Right there, jailed in my dirty cell were my people, WE ARE ALL HERE…again. But I remember, Never Again.

When will this nightmare end?

A hand reached out to comfort me, “They captured a hopeful one this time, too naive to see repeating history.”

“I’m so confused, why are the good bound and the evil allowed to walk free?”

“We know this story far too well.” A fellow inmate uttered, “When have we ever been guilty of the wrongs that we have suffered?”

“They don’t understand, I don’t want any civilians to die!!!”

“Nor I!”

“None of us do, of course not, they know this to be true!”

“How does it always happen this way, the villain playing the victim? Why does the world take their side, a terrorist group — do they know how much they’ve lied?”

“Does the world know how they ruthlessly murdered thousands of innocent families sleeping peacefully in their beds?”

Some do and others deny, and worse, some justify.

“That they killed children in front of parents and parents in front of children?”

Some do and others deny, and worse, some justify.

“That they slaughtered hundreds at the music festival? Tossed grenades into safe rooms?”

Some do and others deny, and worse, some justify.

“But what about the hostages? The elderly, the youth and the babies, they paraded them through the streets. They took those in wheelchairs, Holocaust survivors and those too young to speak.”

“The kidnapped hail from 30 different counties, not just Israel. The world must care about them?!? How is there any other side to that, when will we all condemn?”

“They are being released a few at a time, what gross manipulation — The terrorists have the world at their knees and are rewarded every accommodation!”

“And what of the ‘truce’ they broke so many times? They are allowed — I guess — but our side would be charged with crimes!”

“Does the world know that every Israeli must have a bomb shelter? In what universe is that acceptable, I cannot understand. Israelis say they are used to it, the price for living on sacred land.”

“Does the world also know that in Israel, women and girls have rights? That love is love and celebrated, and faith diversity is a common sight?”

“The universities rallying for them is the greatest ignorance of all. For if those female students lived there, all of their freedoms would fall.”

Is that truth too late too?

“Do the protesters know what they are chanting, or are they ignorant to the error? Do they not understand we are desperately trying to save them from this terror?”

“Why are we in this cell instead of them? They misuse the fuel we give. They would rather those seeking shelter die and blame us, than let them use fuel and live!”

Our crowded cell then fell silent.

That was the truth, it wasn’t too late. For us, the truth has been known since the beginning, but we try to defy our fate.

“They operate from schools, hospitals and mosques – we have known this from their inception. The world turns a blind eye, but why? How could they be fooled by such deception?”

Does the truth even matter? Or is it always too late?

“This time does feel different though…”

“How so?”

“It’s almost as if the mainstream media wants it to be our fault. Did you notice, there was no relief when the truth was revealed from this assault?”

“What do they have to gain with this newer wave of anti-Jewish hate? Our peaceful lives torn apart, how can we mend at this rate?”

“So what are we supposed to do, rot in this cell of false guilt forever? To continually fight for periods of acceptance and pray that it will somehow get better?”

“What if the truth never, ever comes out?! Now what will we do then?”

“The truth always, always comes out!!”

And with that, we spotted a key. We then opened the lock ourselves…and set each other free.