Bill Nevins

A Gentile Kaddish Sung for All Fallen in the Sun

(Written after finishing the book Spain in Our Hearts, about those who died 
1936-1939)

No, son, only a lucky few of us are Jews --

thick micks, Belgians, Germans --

we were and are--
yet proud enough to have known
those earth deep people of 
that Tribe of Moses,
or the Gente of Nuevo Mexico
 and the loving folk of Vietnam 

Louisiane,
 Africa,
 Spain--
oh, any fine land where they still breathe free
 
Aghanistan
 Iraq
 those of faith
 those of Allah
 or even the good believers in Pope or 
Lenin,
Rastafari or Buddha, for sweet Christ's sake!

even those who cherish this Fourth

this weird old falling down

Amerikay
Hey!
brother
son
strong fighter
man
I, non-Jew old man
of yours
yet do strive to sing
Kaddish
for you
in this troubled land
in
anyway I can
I do
This mountain morning
as I think of the fallen heroes
of Spain
of Gardez Base
of this falling rising world
May you fall softy
rise gently
in our holy star's blaze
in our fierce moon's pull


Bill Nevins

oh omar in darkness, what the hell ya dreaming now?  

oh omar in darkness, what the hell ya dreaming now?

in that night we dreamed

as you could well dream, macho mateen destroyer of worlds,

of what could have been, of what could be:

why not turn those bullets away

with love and poetry and songs and laughter

--and touch and kisses--

so they spin off into the sea of false memory

and fade away like ice melting in warm waters

of our heart-blood while our brothers sisters lovers and friends

all alive

all fresh and wild

arise

open their eyes

recognize us

even you,

poor little omar looking for love,

habibi,

and smile?

hey!

we were only dreaming--

such a bad joke, hermano--

now, here we are

together

forever

let's dance

even you, oh flatfoot clumsy pendejo omar!

drop your gun

brother fool

take our hands

and dance

then the sun arose once more

and we whirled

as we all turned to light, turned to love

Bill Nevins