NOT A LAMENT

There, is the rectangular square, easily seen at the moment, thousands and thousands of people, indeed, moving closer to hear the Prime Minister's speech. He should be giving his speech now, but for some reason I am unable to see him, or is it him, shown on a huge screen in the middle of the square. Or is it us, singing very softly. A quarter of a million people in a rectangular square.

Bat ‘El Ktana....(singing)

The sound of those words again, their one thousand echoes, have you heard, assassination, have you heard, assassination, can't hear you, mama, no, I have not heard, and I am not hearing you now, since there is not enough air for breathing here. Speak to me again, mama, but please don't say that word, it's a real final word, and it's wrong, it's only one hour after, and it's not possible, do speak to me again, mama, say someone has made an attempt on his life, say he has been shot, say he is wounded, in the hospital, say his life is under threat, but please do not say “murdered”, mama, that's too final, nothing is left after that, no life or hope or anything we can do, we need to think of something to do now, it is a difficult situation, but we'll find our way out, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, say a blue stripe, or two blue stripes, or any other national symbol covering a large, black box.

Bat ‘El Ktana....(singing)

Keep on singing, little girl, so that we can go on searching for blue stripes, so that we can look for a large, shiny, black box, or a coffin, or five thousand silent people sitting on white chairs. we have not yet received permission to know the name of this mount, as it has been found to be beyond our cognitive capacity, beyond the weather outlook, beyond the first, second, and the rest of the speakers in this ceremony.

One must always listen to words spoken in one's own mother tongue, I hardly doubt that, though I am having some difficulty understanding the meaning of most words in this formal ceremony. Should I say funeral. I keep looking for my question, as I realize how crucial it is to formulate it, to let it vibrate in the air, to see whether lamentation is required. This piece is definitely not a lament! I must find out whether the black box is a coffin, and whether there is any change in the Sea of Galilee's water level.

Bat ‘El Ktana....(singing)

No more singing, for the evening is almost upon us, for the coffin has already been taken away, for we have already had our opportunity, and we've been left with 5,000 white empty chairs, not knowing where to go and what to do, when to start moving, or whether a lament is appropriate. I shall stay by the missing coffin now, where the question may become clear one day, where I may be lucky to hear the Prime Minister's speech, or see him on a large screen in the middle of a square. Yes, I can see him well. Things must be under control, then, which means I can finally stop for a breath and think. It's clear I shall not die after this calamity, neither shall I live, or remember why we are standing here, hardly moving, singing so softly, a quarter of a million people, in a nameless rectangular square. This is only temporary. Within a minute or two, or half an eternity, the square will be named again. We may finally have a grasp of the question, too.

Bat ‘El Ktana....(singing)

No need to sing, or go anywhere, for this is certainly not a lament, not a speech, not an opportunity, I have already had an opportunity, and I have done my best. I shall stay now by the empty air, count the hours and days we need to wait before the square is named again. Fortunately, we are blind, deaf, and can feel nothing at all.

Bat ‘El Ktana....(singing)

And now it's all over, it's done, we have no pretext to look around, or any reason to hurry, for all we see is pure nothing, and all we hear is the sound of three shots. It's quite clear we are neither dead, nor alive. We shall sit, therefore, by the missing coffin, wait there, turn gradually to stone, be there when the question is finally thought of, verbalized, pronounced, dissipated, forgotten.

Bat ‘El Ktana....(singing)