A poem for the longest night of the year, a year in which darkness seems to have fallen on so many, in the forgotten war Sudan and the oh so public war in Gaza, which is portrayed by our media and our politicians as an Israel Hamas war when it is a genocidal war against the people of Palestine, waged by the apartheid state of Israel, with the full support of the US and UK governments, and Starmer’s Labour Party cheering them on from the side-lines. These are dark days, but the public outcry evident in mass demonstrations at home and abroad suggests that these are not days without hope, something I have tried to capture in this poem.

Winter Solstice 

At the year’s midnight when the sun stands still 
Upon the point of ultimate decline 
I wonder in my whimsy if it will 
Shake of its torpor once again to shine. 
And will its shining shift the turpitude 
That feeds upon the darkness of the deeds 
Of those who act in utter certitude 
And do not have a conscience left to heed? 
The heavens hold no answers to our prayers.  
Sunlight falls on sinners and on saints alike. 
To banish evil from the world’s affairs 
It’s up to decent people now to strike. 
When furious flames of anger burn with hope 
We’ll find the means to make the killing stop.  

This is my hope for the new year.