Then as now

In 1209 at Beziers

twenty thousand killed

regardless of age or gender

many seeking refuge

in the Madeleine Church

some put to the sword

others burnt at stakes.

The wrong faith, you see –

Heretics every one,

proclaimed Pope Innocent.

In Gaza strip

twenty thousand killed

regardless of age or gender

many bombed in hospitals

or refugee camps

some sniper-shot hiding

in a Christian church,

the masses made to starve.

They’re not us, you see –

a threat to God’s chosen people.

By day we pray

for war to end

to a God of Love

at Christmas time.

By night we dream

of an Old Man

turning, in his bed,

a blind eye and

a deaf ear,

leaving it to us.