Today is the third anniversary of Gilad Shalit’s capture by Islamist terrorists (Hamas) from the Gaza Strip. Shalit is a brave Israeli soldier who was just 19 years old when taken hostage. He is now 22 and is wanting to live in freedom and return to his family and friends.
To mark the 3rd year of his imprisonment, I am writing a series of poetry tweets from my profile on the social networking site Twitter. They will appear throughout the day and every now and then will be posted to this blog, each and every one of them. Please feel free to re-tweet all and every mini-poem as much as you like so as to make #Gilad a trending topic on Twitter today.
They are as follows: (to be updated throughout the day)
listen carefully to the silence brave #Gilad for wrapped inside r the voices of Israel crying out your name,waiting,longing, for your return
do not count the passing years brave #Gilad,nor let the foreign soil your heart devour.The hills of Zion sing to you, their son, their lion.
Let the sweet song of Jerusalem fill your sleeping hours with comfort brave #Gilad , let the pride of your nation’s glory bring you peace.
the arms of Israel do not rest cold brave #Gilad but instead ache for the day of your return. Hope’s pendulous ticking will not wane.
Brave #Gilad , let not your heart break in dull despair, for in your solitude & gloom there is the air & love of Jerusalem watching over you
Brave #Gilad , warrior of the just. Feel the hand of Israel pressed against your heart & know her caring voice recites your name.
Thy prison roof confines thee brave #Gilad but let not your soul be troubled. The whole of Israel waits for their courageous son’s return.
Love and light to #Gilad flow, from the four corners of the earth. Let not the name of #Gilad fade nor his bravery be forgotten.
a flower plucked from Israel’s soil, by the hands of terrorist fiends. Shout out, be heard, let #Gilad hear his name!
Remember the bleak & lonely nights before that have encompassed you with dread. For brave #Gilad they never end but roll one into another
Your bravery has matched & even surpassed the greatest names of history young #Gilad. The people of the world must never forget.
when darkness falls this very night,take a moment,with a candle &whisper out to the lost soldier in the wilds of tyranny,”you are not alone”
Each star that graces the night sky is a voice of hope&comfort to the lost Israeli soldier #Gilad. Part the mists,let them shine,let him see
Brave #Gilad , a better dawn will come to you, when freedom will sing more beautifully than any birdsong. Israel’s son, focus on that day.
Time marches on, the tears of #Gilad ’s family continue to fall. But the love & hope for a lost Israeli soldier will never waver nor cease
A beacon shines brightly from the darkness of Gaza. #Gilad , a living light of youth & dignity, caged by those blind to humanity & liberty.
let the dawn of a summer day remind you of Israel’s flower, lost & alone in the wilderness of terror. #Gilad
dry the tears that fall dear child & look to Gaza where sits a brave soldier, #Gilad ,alone, carrying Israel’s honour on his young shoulders
Hamas have neither bravery nor honour. How much they must despise he, who shows their heinousness, by his mere silent presence. #Gilad
Let your prayers for #Gilad fly like birds into the skies above his place of captivity. A brave soldier, a lion, caged but with strong heart
If only for a moment in your day,think of #Gilad, the young but brave Israeli soldier held captive in the Gaza Strip.Alone with the darkness
Remember a time when in the crowds you felt alone. It is nothing compared to the brave soldier #Gilad who in enemy territory dwells alone.
By the border sing his name, #Gilad Shalit, billowing waves of sound across the Gaza Strip until your voices reach his ears.
Under the moonlight’s glistening stare rests the prison cell where #Gilad sleeps.Tonight,remember this brave soldier as stars begin to shine
Forget not the soldier #Gilad who fought for freedom’s gain nor the need to fling the Hamas tyranny from the face of the Earth.
when next you see a ray of sunshine casting its light on a morning dew drop. Think of #Gilad , trapped in captivity, longing for his release
Unclench your souls and let their light wrap around the shoulders of the #Gilad family. Their son, an inspiration to us all across the world
A mother’s soft weeping fills the lonely hours of the night. The grief of not knowing, the agony of ‘what if’. Brave #Gilad a son of Israel
Morning slips into afternoon but still a brave soldier remains captive. #Gilad who fought in defense of freedom,4that which we all hold dear
How swift life is, how short the funnels of togetherness can be. 3 years is too long, set #Gilad free!
…
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Those are beautiful! Keep posting more if you can – they’re really heartwarming especialy seeing how terrible the situation is.
Such heartarming poems! I’d love to read more – the situation was really unfortunate and their families need all the moral support they can get.
I would like to alert you to a new activism campaign by
JIDF to Tweet4Shalit Free Gilad Shalit
http://www.thejidf.org/2009/08/gilad-shalit-twitter-campaign.html
As a JIDF supporter and as an Israeli I would highly appreciate if you can cover/join the event on Twitter and any other Social Media. Thank You
Story of this Israeli soldier is very sad, but there is no point in making poems for him. He is not a hero, just another victim of pointless war. Some people just don’t understand that with brutal force always comes responsibility for using it.
terrorists are the most ugly people ever! I don’t understand their religion, and habit. Make love, not war!
Poor boy, I hope he will come back home soon. Are there news about his fate?
Poem for Gilad:
PIDYON SHEVOYIM
Will not this shadow ever fall
Against the tear-streaked Western Wall?
Who knows, who knows, I cannot tell;
In hope I live for Yisroel.
Pidyon shevoyim, no greater cause,
Such love breaks down the highest walls.
Oh, happy stars set free to roam,
Jerusalem, I long for home!
I have never seen such a twitter poetry! So nice and so sad… Where is Gilad right now?
It is so terrible when people fight with each other. So much aggression and less peace in the world. This poetry is beautiful but sad.
Ma English is far from perfection but this poem was quite interesting and nice written.