The True Story of War

The following poem was written in 2017 when the U.S. was bombing ISIS targets in Afghanistan. I re-post it today to remind us of the struggle in Ukraine and the seemingly neverending plight of refugees in this world. - CK

A Ukrainian family crosses into Slovakia (Peter Lazar, Getty Images)

The True Story of War
 
Refugees tell the true story
of leaders’ declarations of might.
After seeking shelter
from bombs and marauders,
they leave desolation behind
hoping to carry on.
 
What hopes do they carry
with the few things gathered in their bags?
Will children play?
Will the ground be steady?
Will families reunite in foreign lands?
Or will they simply survive
to look for hope on another day?
 
Refugees tell the true story
of a world where life struggles to maintain
amid the rubble scattered
by presidents and generals
who live in opulence and greed;
who trade in proud speeches and intrigue.
 
Those who find peace
avoid the brutal boot heels of victory,
or find shelter and sustenance
from kind souls who do the penance
for a nation at war.
 
Even now
refugees wait,
stranded as it were,
between desolation and hope
while egocentric heads of state
test new bombs
that may swell the ranks
of refugees who tell
the true story of war.
 
                                      ~ Charles Kinnaird

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Monday Music: Evacuee (Enya)

It happens all too often. I shared this post in 2014, again in 2017, and now in 2022 as we see over 2 million refugees fleeing war-ravaged Ukraine. While leaders and politicians wage war with armies, tanks and drones, citizens who are displaced must bear the sorrow of lost homes, lost loved ones, and separated families. The song is "Evacuee," from the album Shepherd Moons. The words and music are by Eithne Ni Bhraonain, Nicky Ryan and Roma Shane Ryan. It is performed by Eithne Ni Bhraonain (Enya)

 

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Rest on the Flight into Egypt

Epiphany commemorates the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem bringing gifts to the Christ child. According to the Gospel of Matthew, soon after the visit from the Magi, Joseph was warned that he and his family should flee their homeland and go to Egypt to seek refuge from King Herod's attempt to kill their infant son.

On this Feast of Epiphany, I am re-posting a poem inspired by the French artist Luc Olivier Merson.

Rest on the Flight into Egypt

How still the air must be this night –

A wisp of smoke

Moves straight to the sky

As the fugitive fire 

Slowly dies.

How still the night

As the light of heaven

Rests in Egypt’s ancient arms.

How still the night

As donkey grazes and

Joseph sleeps
While beyond the distant river
Some petty tyrant
Fashions weapons of war.

And a newly blessed mother

Slumbers in the protective Sabbath

Of a watchful Sphinx.

                                                 ~ CK

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Image: Rest on the Flight into Egypt, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Artist: Luc Olivier Merson (French, 1846–1920)

Medium: Oil on canvas
Date: 1879

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Monday Music: The Gospel of Mary (Josh Ritter)

A powerful new song by Josh Ritter

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Just Like Jonah

Not Just a Fish Story

The Book of Jonah was written during a time in Israel’s history when they were focusing on some kind of racial/national/religious purity to the point that they wanted to get rid of all foreign influence. Yes, the Israelites were returning from Babylonian captivity to their homeland. They wanted to make their nation great again, and some of their leaders (Ezra and Nehemiah, to name names) thought that they needed to cleanse themselves from all foreigners. They were even willing to separate families, telling those who had taken foreign wives to send them back to their own respective lands.

There were some, however, who said "Wait a minute, not so fast. This does not sound like the God we worship, the God we know to be compassionate and merciful." They had a more universal vision of their faith and how they should live, so there began a resistance movement to counter the hardliners.

In order to address the xenophobic error that threatened to distort the faith  even while attempting to preserve it, the story of Jonah arose to illustrate to the people that the Israelites were not the only ones who could hear and respond to the word of God. Indeed, the story reflects God's compassion for all people and gives us reason to welcome the foreigner in our midst*.

Confronting the Other

In the story, the Lord told Jonah to go and preach to the people of Nineveh. They were foreigners and heathens, after all, in Jonah's mind. His message was that they needed to repent, or God would bring down judgment. Jonah had been reluctant to even meet with these ungodly heathens, but he eventually delivered the message (after some detours, including a ride in the belly of a big fish). Once he had his say, Jonah headed out of town to find a nice vantage point to view God’s mighty destruction upon the people.

Much to Jonah’s dismay, the people of Nineveh actually repented and turned their hearts toward God. The biblical story recounts that Jonah was angry with God for the way it all turned out.  “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” (Jonah 4: 2, NIV)

Thomas Carlisle wrote a beautiful book, You! Jonah! He recasts the story in a series of poems which can be read in a single sitting. I highly recommend the book. Here is one of the poems from Carlisle’s work:

The generosity of God
Displeased Jonah exceedingly
And he slashed with angry prayer
At the graciousness of the Almighty.
“I told You so,” he screamed.
“I knew what You would do,
You dirty Forgiver.
You bless Your enemies
And show kindness to those
Who despitefully use You.
I would rather die
Than live in a world
With a God like You.
And don’t try to forgive me either.”

Confronting Our Own Xenophobia

In America today, we are seeing a rise in xenophobic fear and recrimination. We are hearing cries to build walls and pass legislation to keep the foreigners out. People of faith seem just as loathe to show kindness and love to a foreigner as Jonah was. We are seeing a huge swath of Christian believers who apparently would rather not live in a world where the words of Jesus must be taken into consideration.

As a Southerner who grew up Southern Baptist, I find it quite ironic that we are hearing a higher ethic from The New York Times and greater compassion from Hollywood than we are hearing from our pulpits on Sunday. We, like Jonah, could learn from those “heathens” on the East and West Coasts, if we but had ears to hear and eyes to see.

We find ourselves in a world where many professing Christians confronted with Black Lives Matter or Hispanic refugees at the border do not want to hear any word about the love of God or the compassion of Christ. Instead, they want to “Keep them Out,” “Send them back,” or “Push them Down.” 

Deep down we surely know, as did Jonah in the biblical story, that God intends peace and compassion, not strife and hate.

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* The book of Ruth was written during this same time period and also illustrated the value of the foreigner by reminding the people that even their great King David had foreign ancestry in his bloodline.

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Image at the top: "Jonah and the Whale,"  ca. 1400 , Iran (At The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City)

Medium: Ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper 

                 A folio from a Jami al-Tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles)

Note from The MET page regarding the painting:

The story of Jonah and the Whale, mentioned in the Qur'an (37:139), was popular in the Muslim world and frequently illustrated in manuscripts of world history. This large-scale painting, however, never formed part of a manuscript. Rather, it may have been used during oral recitation or storytelling. Scholars have also suggested that with its strong palette, monumental figures, and spare composition, this work may reflect a now-lost wall painting tradition. Here, we see Jonah after his release from the belly of the fish. Above him, a gourd vine grows—sent by God to protect him from the elements—and, gliding across the top of the painting, a spirited angel with colorful spreading wings offers Jonah a garment.

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Emigres

As our nation continues to debate and discuss border walls and immigrants we find ourselves fearing the terrorist, encumbering the asylum seeker, and shunning the refugee. Tragically, we separate children from parents in our response to those caught in dire circumstances.

Today's post is a poem from my Masterworks Series. It offers insight from the point-of-view of a refugee family.

Emigres

Our Lord, allow us to welcome the stranger and treat them kindly. Allow us to see that the stranger can benefit us. Allow us to see that the stranger can benefit those from where they came.  Ameen.

                            

                                             ~ Sarah Joseph, OBE*

   

It seems we are always looking back to Egypt.

We suffer our kings;

Tentatively we give them admiration

While doing our best to stay out of their way.

Our rulers give us hope

That God will bless our land,

Yet more often they are the reason

We hope for better days.

Leaving Bethlehem by night

With my wife and son,

We cast ourselves upon

The mercy of the open road.

Fleeing one tyrant

For memories of another,

We take refuge in the land

That was abundant in wealth and oppression

For our forebears.

Rootless and homeless

We have only family for support

And the strength of our hands

For a day’s wage.

Living as refugees,

Moving from overlord to overlord,

We will make our way.

Longing for home and

Grieving for a land

Once filled with life and song

Now turned deadly.

Trees offer their fruits

As we stop to rest,

Reminding us that the earth is gracious

Even when the land is stolen and divided by kings.

Sojourning in a strange land

We will hold on to the goodness of the earth

Waiting for old kings to die;

Waiting for the time of singing.

In the meantime

We will join with the downtrodden

And dwell with the outcast

Seeking refuge together.

Perhaps we will find a place

In the shadows of the empire

To sing our songs of hope.

                                                           ~ CK

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* From Sarah Joseph's BBC Radio Prayer for the Day, 23 July 2015

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Image: "The Rest on the Flight into Egypt" at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Artist: Gerard David (Netherlandish, 1460-1523)
Medium: Oil on panel
Date: c.1510


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The Plight of the Refugee

According to the Gospel of Matthew, soon after the visit from the Magi, Joseph was warned that he and his family should flee their homeland and go to Egypt to seek refuge from King Herod's attempt to kill their infant son.

As we remember the refugee, and those immigrants who have much to contribute, I am re-posting a poem inspired by the French artist Luc Olivier Merson. Egypt knew not whom she held, yet she kept the family intact.

Rest on the Flight into Egypt

How still the air must be this night –

A wisp of smoke

Moves straight to the sky

As the fugitive fire 

Slowly dies.

How still the night

As the light of heaven

Rests in Egypt’s ancient arms.

How still the night

As donkey grazes and

Joseph sleeps
While beyond the distant river
Some petty tyrant
Fashions weapons of war.

And a newly blessed mother

Slumbers in the protective Sabbath

Of a watchful Sphinx.

                                                 ~ CK

______________

Image: Rest on the Flight into Egypt, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Artist: Luc Olivier Merson (French, 1846–1920)

Medium: Oil on canvas
Date: 1879

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Rest on the Flight into Egypt

According to the Gospel of Matthew, soon after the visit from the Magi, Joseph was warned that he and his family should flee their homeland and go to Egypt to seek refuge from King Herod's attempt to kill their infant son.

On this day after the Feast of Epiphany, I am re-posting a poem inspired by the French artist Luc Olivier Merson.

Rest on the Flight into Egypt

How still the air must be this night –

A wisp of smoke

Moves straight to the sky

As the fugitive fire 

Slowly dies.

How still the night

As the light of heaven

Rests in Egypt’s ancient arms.

How still the night

As donkey grazes and

Joseph sleeps
While beyond the distant river
Some petty tyrant
Fashions weapons of war.

And a newly blessed mother

Slumbers in the protective Sabbath

Of a watchful Sphinx.

                                                 ~ CK

______________

Image: Rest on the Flight into Egypt, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Artist: Luc Olivier Merson (French, 1846–1920)

Medium: Oil on canvas
Date: 1879

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Rest on the Flight into Egypt

Rest on the Flight into Egypt

How still the air must be this night –

A wisp of smoke

Moves straight to the sky

As the fugitive fire 

Slowly dies.

How still the night

As the light of heaven

Rests in Egypt’s ancient arms.

How still the night

As donkey grazes and

Joseph sleeps
While beyond the distant river
Some petty tyrant
Fashions weapons of war.

And a newly blessed mother

Slumbers in the protective Sabbath

Of a watchful Sphinx.

                                                 ~ CK

______________

Image: Rest on the Flight into Egypt, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Artist: Luc Olivier Merson (French, 1846–1920)

Medium: Oil on canvas
Date: 1879

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Bearing Witness to the Times: The True Story of War

Tanks line up for the parade in Pyongyang on Saturday. (AP Photo)

"North Korea parades military might and warns US amid nuclear test fears"

(Headline from The Guardian)

"Trump lauds 'successful' bombing in Afghanistan"

(Headline from The Hill)

The True Story of War

Refugees tell the true story

Of leaders’ declarations of might.

After seeking shelter

From bombs and marauders,

They leave desolation behind

Hoping to carry on.

What hopes do they carry

With the few things gathered in their bags?

Will children play?

Will the ground be steady?

Will families reunite in foreign lands?

Or will they simply survive

To look for hope on another day?

Refugees tell the true story

Of a world where life struggles to maintain

Amid the rubble scattered

By presidents and generals

Who live in opulence and greed;

Who trade in proud speeches and intrigue.

Those who find peace

Avoid the brutal boot heels of victory,

Or find shelter and sustenance

From kind souls who do the penance

For a nation at war.

Even now

Refugees wait,
Stranded as it were,

Between desolation and hope

While egocentric heads of state

Test new bombs

That may swell the ranks

Of refugees who tell the true story of war.

                                                                             ~ CK

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Donald Trump lauded the bombing of ISIS targets
in Afghanistan on April 13 (Getty Images)

 North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un applauds during
parade in Pyongyang on  April 15 (AP Photo)

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Hong Kong Memories

The name "Hong Kong," translated from the Cantonese, Heung Gong, means "fragrant harbor." We expatriates who lived there found that to be a bit amusing. There were definitely many aromas, especially in Kowloon City where I lived, but that combination of automobile exhaust, yesterday's garbage, restaurant cooking, and open markets was not what we typically referred to as "fragrant." I am assuming that in the old days before it was so populated, local vegetation along with natural beauty gave rise to the name.

Hong Kong was indeed a fascinating and diverse place to live. It had a long history of taking in refugees. Many had flooded in from mainland China in the wake of political turmoil. In the 1980s, there was a large refugee camp in Kowloon for Vietnamese refugees awaiting resettlement in various countries. In addition to the majority Cantonese (southern China) population, there were also other Chinese groups such as Hakka, Swatow, and Szechuan as well as a large community of "boat people" whose homes were in boats on the harbor, and whose families had traditionally earned a living by fishing. 

At the time I was there, Hong Kong was still a British Crown Colony, so there were many British expatriates there as well as other European business people. Being such a vital place for business, there were also Japanese, Koreans, Indonesians, people from India as well as Americans there involved in various business ventures. There were also significant Filipino and Southeast Asian populations living there. I saw an amazing hodge podge of old tradition and new industry; Asian culture with European and American influences.

Before I left Hong Kong, I wrote a poem for one of my Chinese friends who was a school teacher. She herself was about to embark upon a journey to England for further study. In the poem, I tried to express my sentiments about the place I was leaving behind.

  

Fragrant Harbor

A fragrance to heaven goes up each day

            as incense burns in temples.

A fragrance to world endures in time

with the gathering of spirited and lively people.

A fragrance to business and trade is sure,

            and it disperses throughout the land.

A fragrance to the East,

A fragrance to the West;

A fragrance to all who have come.

How many have sensed the sweetness of this place,

For whatever reason they journey –

To escape, to be caught;

To be lost, to be found.

The motives are many, the result is one.

I number among those

Who have caught the scent

Of this busy, crowded, unique place.

And something in me shall hope to smell again

The fragrance of these shores.

Charles Kinnaird                               6/83         

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