The Rage of Israel

The Rage of Israel
Tom Shaw

No one seems to wonder
What we’re really angry about,
We angry men.
They want us to “manage our anger”
Learn “assertiveness” not “aggressiveness”.
We’re cured when we can tie a Windsor knot
Without gagging.
Brutes, barely human, now terrify the earth.
War, death, and treachery is all they know.
They assert their rights
As gods of this world
As Pharaohs in Egypt
As rightful heirs of that man’s man,
That hairy ape, that brute,
Esau, Rachel’s other son.
They took away our spears
And gave us a sword
And told us to kill other men
Or our children would die.
Then they gave us another sword
In the form of a plough
And told us to rape the earth
Or our children would die.
That day the world of men ended.
The world of honour
Where I, and those I trusted,
Faced perils and adventures
To bring the boon of a dead beast
To the campfire
To feed those in our care.
Our bones sang with pride
To see our children, wives,
And parents alive and joyful
Because of our courage.
That night we made love
To our wives and kissed our children.
Instead, they twisted
The simple joy of the hunt.
Turned valor into the courage
To hunt men,
And honor another excuse
To kill women and children.
After 240 generations
Our pride has soured to rage,
The rage of the unfavored son,
The bookish Jacob,
Who lied to his father
(who loved Esau’s “manliness”)
And wrestled with God a whole night
To become Israel, the father of a nation
Favored by God, not men,
To secure the birthright
For all of us, men and women,
Abraham’s true heirs:
Those who tie Windsor knots
Or our children will die.
We wear ties to save them.
Knowing we can trust God
To deliver us from our enemies.
If not us, then our children,
And if not them, then theirs.
In the meantime, we wait quietly,
Balling our fists in mute rage.