Photo of a young Hamas terrorist‘A Leftist Rebukes Hamas’: A Satirical Poem by Joshua C. Frank The Society October 15, 2023 Poetry, Satire 35 Comments . A Leftist Rebukes Hamas Hey, Hamas, you silly dolts, You need to mow down more adults. Keep fighting for your patch of sand, Since Jews do not deserve the land, But chopping off their babies’ heads And slashing children in their beds? You really need to be more subtle; To succeed, you must befuddle. Convince the unborn babies’ mothers That nothing counts more than their ’druthers And children are a dungeon chain Forcing women’s toil and pain. Convince them that it’s not alive Until you see its face arrive And anyone who disagrees Hates women and ignores their pleas (The usual apologetics). Delegate the death to medics Who live by an assassin’s dictum: Kill when none can see the victim! By pro-choice tactics, you may choose A better way to kill the Jews, But should you choose the final solution Applied to France’s Revolution, We still will stand up for your side While your land is occupied. Behead in public or abort— The right to either, we’ll support. . . Joshua C. Frank works in the field of statistics and lives near Austin, Texas. His poetry has been published in Snakeskin, The Lyric, Sparks of Calliope, Westward Quarterly, Atop the Cliffs, Verse Virtual, and The Asahi Haikuist Network, and his short fiction has been published in Nanoism.” NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. 35 Responses Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 For the record, the speaker of this poem is not me; his opinions are in no way mine. I wrote this because I’m horrified by the fact that not only has Hamas beheaded Jewish babies in Israel, but the left’s reaction has been to whine about the alleged “mistreatment” of Palestinians by Israelis, implying, if not outright stating, that the Jews somehow deserve to have their children butchered. The idea for this poem came to me because I realized that the left has been supporting the beheading of babies for quite a long time, in the form of so-called “abortion rights.” (Actually, as referred to in the poem, the left’s love of beheading dates as far back as the French Revolution.) Essentially, the difference between the left and Hamas is that the left is sneakier about how it kills babies. Reply Andrea Summers July 17, 2024 The beheaded babies story was fake news: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2024/04/03/40-beheaded-babies-the-itinerary-of-a-rumor-at-the-heart-of-the-information-battle-between-israel-and-hamas_6667274_8.html Reply Mike Bryant July 17, 2024 USA Today, certainly NOT a conservative paper, has a different opinion than Le Monde: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2023/10/31/post-falsely-claims-newspaper-reported-no-babies-beheaded-hamas-israel-fact-check/71394076007/ Even Snopes disagrees with Le Monde. Joshua C. Frank July 17, 2024 Andrea, I’m glad to see that people are still reading my poems almost a year after publication. Thank you. I have to know: how did you come across my poem? As for the “fake news” bit, what makes you think a bogus article on the Internet will convince anyone? There are websites claiming that the Holocaust never happened or that the earth is flat. I claim your article is fake news. Prove me wrong. Believe me, I wish the bit about beheaded babies were fake news. At the time, I prayed that it was. But it did happen, and all the pretending in the world won’t bring them back to life. Brian A. Yapko July 17, 2024 It’s not fake news, Ms. Summers. The evidence is overwhelming and was even acknowledged by our horrified government officials who went to Israel after the terror attack. It’s documented in multiple places, including on video. No, it’s not fake news. It’s that you WANT it to be fake news. And that speaks volumes about you. Mike Bryant October 15, 2023 Josh, this perfectly crafted poem lets everyone look deeply into the hearts of those people who have fallen for and completely internalized the underhanded tactics of the one-world schemers. Your deep understanding is far too rare. I wonder how many venues would accept a poem full of such honesty. You and your work belong right here. Reply Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 Thank you, Mike. That means a lot. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant October 15, 2023 Josh, anyone who cares for the future of God’s miracles (our children) should be affected by the admirably wrought words of this well crafted, powerful and heart-rending poem. We have reached a point of savagery and immorality in the Western world that is (for the majority) hard to comprehend. Your poem spells it out… perfectly. I hope it turns many misled heads in the right direction. Thank you for your bravery! Reply Brian A. Yapko October 15, 2023 Thank you for writing this, Josh! That poetry of this nature needs to be written at all is so disturbing, but that is the world we now live in. Your satire is excellent, and the hideous bedfellows of Hamas and leftists is unfortunately all too accurate. I especially like the juxtaposition of “final solution” and “France’s revolution” for the way it connects the Holocaust with the beheadings under the guillotine during the Reign of Terror both of which you now connect to the beheadings of little Jewish babies. That anyone who purports to be civilized can actually condone the acts of Hamas demonstrates how utterly depraved our society has become. There are no “Yes, buts” here any more than if people wanted to start a dialogue about why Auschwitz was actually a good thing. Reply Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 Thank you, Brian. You clearly see the point of this poem. I agree that it’s disturbing that it needs to be written. I don’t imagine leftists will be commenting, because they couldn’t do so without exposing themselves as I’ve exposed them. Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 Thank you Susan! I agree that we have reached such a degree of savagery and immorality in the West. I, too, hope it helps people see that. Reply Gail Dowler October 16, 2023 Hear! Hear! Reply ABB October 15, 2023 Hilarious. The left’s moral bankruptcy is complete. Enjoyed the unexpected rhymes—mothers/druthers, etc. Reply Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 Thanks! Though I expect the left to become even worse over the years, if such a thing can be imagined. I can’t imagine where rock bottom is, but my fear is that even at this rate, they still won’t reach it in my lifetime. Reply Joseph S. Salemi October 15, 2023 A great poem, Joshua — and by the way, the left is now in complete intellectual paralysis because of what has just happened. If they support Hamas they get intense flak from both the Jews and anyone else who is appalled by atrocities; and if they support Israel’s response they lose credibility with all the Third-World terror groups and non-Westerners whom the left normally courts. This is why there was a choked and tongue-tied silence from many left-liberals, who either refused to answer questions about which side they support, or who swallowed hard and doubled down on complete support for Hamas. I notice that Mainstream Media is especially in distress over this — they keep hesitating over whether to call Hamas “terrorists” or “militants,” and some of the stations are all of a sudden scrambling to present segments that are at least apparently sympathetic to the victims of the Hamas slaughter. The horrific photos that Netanyahu released, along with the captured maps that show precise planning for the murder of children, put CNN and MSNBC into a very tight vise. The liberal-left will try to talk their way out of this conundrum, of course. That’s what they’re good at — spouting endless mind-numbing chatter. Expect plenty of exculpatory bullshit from academia. Reply Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 Thank you, Joe. I can’t imagine the left still has any credibility with anyone except each other after having gambled it away on all kinds of evil causes over the years. If the Hamas massacre isn’t enough to make them stop kissing the rear ends of their pet groups, then that tells me they either support Hamas as much as the speaker does or just don’t care that babies are being beheaded. Either way, they’ve shown their true colors. I’ve been saying for years that it’s a very short step from supporting killing pre-born babies to supporting killing babies after birth, because there’s little difference. I just didn’t expect that the change would take place this quickly. Reply Joseph S. Salemi October 16, 2023 Joshua, I notice that the BBC ( a Left-Labourite operation in the U.K.) has forbidden any of its personnel to use the word “terrorist” in connection with the current Israeli-Hamas fighting. David Whippman October 20, 2023 Joseph, it’s a fact that in Britain (probably the USA too) the far left has always contained a strong element of Jew-hatred. In the UK, it was largely ignored because the far left almost never had as much media attention as the extreme right. With Corbyn as Labour leader, that changed. Nick Cohen’s book “What’s Left?” gives a detailed account of how the extreme left (mainly in Britain) painted itself into a moral corner. Joshua’a excellent poem exemplifies this. Reply Joshua C. Frank October 20, 2023 Thank you, David. I remember when the left considered Jews to be one of its protected groups. Now that they’re so chummy with Muslims, they’ve withdrawn this protection to curry their favor. Of course, this “friendship” with Muslims extends only one way, as many in Europe have learned the hard way. Roy Eugene Peterson October 15, 2023 Joshua, your intense poem portrays the symptoms of leftist support for barbarism in its many forms and exposes their uncivility. Reply Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 Thank you Roy! Reply David Whippman October 15, 2023 The other reviewers said it all. Thanks for this piece that encapsulates the moral bankruptcy of the far left. Reply Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 Thank you, David. Though I’m not sure it’s just the far left, as the far left merely takes what the moderate left believes and brings it a few steps closer to its logical conclusion. Reply Paddy Raghunathan October 15, 2023 Joshua, Leaving my political beliefs aside, your satire is mostly spot on. I do disagree with the assessment folks have made about moral bankruptcy of the left. They have never had any morality to begin with. Best regards, Paddy Reply Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 Thank you, Paddy. It’s nice to know that you and I can finally agree on something. I agree, leftism defines itself by being contrary to what all peoples in history have known to be moral. Reply Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 By contrast, the Israelis have destroyed the Gaza Strip’s only Planned Parenthood clinic: https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/israeli-airstrike-destroys-gazas-only-planned-parenthood-affiliated-clinic-5510035 Hamas beheads Jewish babies, while the Israelis save even the babies of their enemy from the same fate. No wonder the left hates Israel. Reply Joshua C. Frank October 16, 2023 One more article saying the same thing I’m saying: https://amac.us/newsline/national-security/its-not-just-hamas-the-lefts-shameful-history-of-glorifying-murderous-tyrants/ Reply Brian A. Yapko October 23, 2023 Continuing the discussion, this opinion piece which discusses the differing mindset of the left versus the right is about as thoughtful a discussion as I’ve seen. The left and the right really do analyze human behavior — and, therefore, politics — with completely incompatible paradigms. https://www.thefp.com/p/the-day-the-delusions-died-konstantin-kisin Reply Joshua C. Frank October 23, 2023 Brian, thank you for supplying this link. It’s nice to hear that people are leaving the woke movement over this! Hopefully some of them will gradually adopt more conservative beliefs, as I did starting in my 20s. For me, the moment was when I realized liberalism’s stated values were contradictory (examples: feminism and multiculturalism; freedom to act and protection from oppression; preserving liberalism and unrestricted immigration) and that the system was naturally unstable and unsustainable (due to low birth rates and encouraging immigration from countries that don’t believe in liberalism). Whatever the inciting incident, I think what makes individuals drift rightward politically is that moment where they realize that the unconstrained vision is bogus, that they had better stop trying to make 2+2=5 before they spend their lives at it and fail. Reply Michael Vanyukov November 27, 2023 While the depravity of Hamas is absolute and those savages are beyond redemption, the abortionist progressives, at least some, may yet be convinced and understand their errors. Nonetheless, those of them who support Hamas definitely share with Muslim savages disregard for human life if not the sadistic pleasure from murder and torture. Reply Joshua C. Frank November 28, 2023 Michael, thank you for commenting. Before October 7, one could make a case that pro-abortion leftists could be convinced they were wrong. Now that they support Hamas, they’ve shown their true colors. They were never ignorant; they’ve always knowingly supported the murder of children. As I intended to show in this poem, the left is even more evil than Hamas. Reply Brian A. Yapko November 29, 2023 Well, Josh, we’re once again comparing evils and victims and it’s impossible to do so without offending someone. Yes, the left is evil but it’s a tough sell that it’s more evil than Hamas. Hamas baked a live baby to death in the kitchen oven in front of his screaming hostage parents just because they were Jewish. Hamas beheaded babies. Hamas raped teenage girls and sliced off their breasts while they were still alive. These are forms of evil which defy comparison. Better not to try in this situation or others because it’s a rabbit hole of whose misery is worse. Joshua C. Frank November 29, 2023 That’s a good point. I was thinking mostly of the fact that Hamas shows its evils out in the open while the left is sneaky and therefore more effective at achieving the goals of murder, mutilation, etc. But now that I think about it, that could just be my American perspective; perhaps some people in Muslim countries clearly see how their people are manipulated by Islam and think we show our evils out in the open. You’d think I’d remember to consider my own cultural perspective after having dealt so much with French culture! I apologize if I’ve offended anyone with this comment. In any case, I think we can agree that Islam and leftism are both grave evils that need to be eradicated but probably won’t. Brian A. Yapko November 29, 2023 Thanks, Josh. Yes, we are in complete agreement on those last points. That’s, at least, why it’s important to write and maintain a record of these events and our sane reactions to them. Joshua C. Frank February 3, 2024 I’m honored that this poem was given an honorable mention in the annual competition. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 For the record, the speaker of this poem is not me; his opinions are in no way mine. I wrote this because I’m horrified by the fact that not only has Hamas beheaded Jewish babies in Israel, but the left’s reaction has been to whine about the alleged “mistreatment” of Palestinians by Israelis, implying, if not outright stating, that the Jews somehow deserve to have their children butchered. The idea for this poem came to me because I realized that the left has been supporting the beheading of babies for quite a long time, in the form of so-called “abortion rights.” (Actually, as referred to in the poem, the left’s love of beheading dates as far back as the French Revolution.) Essentially, the difference between the left and Hamas is that the left is sneakier about how it kills babies. Reply
Andrea Summers July 17, 2024 The beheaded babies story was fake news: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2024/04/03/40-beheaded-babies-the-itinerary-of-a-rumor-at-the-heart-of-the-information-battle-between-israel-and-hamas_6667274_8.html Reply
Mike Bryant July 17, 2024 USA Today, certainly NOT a conservative paper, has a different opinion than Le Monde: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2023/10/31/post-falsely-claims-newspaper-reported-no-babies-beheaded-hamas-israel-fact-check/71394076007/ Even Snopes disagrees with Le Monde.
Joshua C. Frank July 17, 2024 Andrea, I’m glad to see that people are still reading my poems almost a year after publication. Thank you. I have to know: how did you come across my poem? As for the “fake news” bit, what makes you think a bogus article on the Internet will convince anyone? There are websites claiming that the Holocaust never happened or that the earth is flat. I claim your article is fake news. Prove me wrong. Believe me, I wish the bit about beheaded babies were fake news. At the time, I prayed that it was. But it did happen, and all the pretending in the world won’t bring them back to life.
Brian A. Yapko July 17, 2024 It’s not fake news, Ms. Summers. The evidence is overwhelming and was even acknowledged by our horrified government officials who went to Israel after the terror attack. It’s documented in multiple places, including on video. No, it’s not fake news. It’s that you WANT it to be fake news. And that speaks volumes about you.
Mike Bryant October 15, 2023 Josh, this perfectly crafted poem lets everyone look deeply into the hearts of those people who have fallen for and completely internalized the underhanded tactics of the one-world schemers. Your deep understanding is far too rare. I wonder how many venues would accept a poem full of such honesty. You and your work belong right here. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant October 15, 2023 Josh, anyone who cares for the future of God’s miracles (our children) should be affected by the admirably wrought words of this well crafted, powerful and heart-rending poem. We have reached a point of savagery and immorality in the Western world that is (for the majority) hard to comprehend. Your poem spells it out… perfectly. I hope it turns many misled heads in the right direction. Thank you for your bravery! Reply
Brian A. Yapko October 15, 2023 Thank you for writing this, Josh! That poetry of this nature needs to be written at all is so disturbing, but that is the world we now live in. Your satire is excellent, and the hideous bedfellows of Hamas and leftists is unfortunately all too accurate. I especially like the juxtaposition of “final solution” and “France’s revolution” for the way it connects the Holocaust with the beheadings under the guillotine during the Reign of Terror both of which you now connect to the beheadings of little Jewish babies. That anyone who purports to be civilized can actually condone the acts of Hamas demonstrates how utterly depraved our society has become. There are no “Yes, buts” here any more than if people wanted to start a dialogue about why Auschwitz was actually a good thing. Reply
Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 Thank you, Brian. You clearly see the point of this poem. I agree that it’s disturbing that it needs to be written. I don’t imagine leftists will be commenting, because they couldn’t do so without exposing themselves as I’ve exposed them.
Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 Thank you Susan! I agree that we have reached such a degree of savagery and immorality in the West. I, too, hope it helps people see that. Reply
ABB October 15, 2023 Hilarious. The left’s moral bankruptcy is complete. Enjoyed the unexpected rhymes—mothers/druthers, etc. Reply
Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 Thanks! Though I expect the left to become even worse over the years, if such a thing can be imagined. I can’t imagine where rock bottom is, but my fear is that even at this rate, they still won’t reach it in my lifetime. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi October 15, 2023 A great poem, Joshua — and by the way, the left is now in complete intellectual paralysis because of what has just happened. If they support Hamas they get intense flak from both the Jews and anyone else who is appalled by atrocities; and if they support Israel’s response they lose credibility with all the Third-World terror groups and non-Westerners whom the left normally courts. This is why there was a choked and tongue-tied silence from many left-liberals, who either refused to answer questions about which side they support, or who swallowed hard and doubled down on complete support for Hamas. I notice that Mainstream Media is especially in distress over this — they keep hesitating over whether to call Hamas “terrorists” or “militants,” and some of the stations are all of a sudden scrambling to present segments that are at least apparently sympathetic to the victims of the Hamas slaughter. The horrific photos that Netanyahu released, along with the captured maps that show precise planning for the murder of children, put CNN and MSNBC into a very tight vise. The liberal-left will try to talk their way out of this conundrum, of course. That’s what they’re good at — spouting endless mind-numbing chatter. Expect plenty of exculpatory bullshit from academia. Reply
Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 Thank you, Joe. I can’t imagine the left still has any credibility with anyone except each other after having gambled it away on all kinds of evil causes over the years. If the Hamas massacre isn’t enough to make them stop kissing the rear ends of their pet groups, then that tells me they either support Hamas as much as the speaker does or just don’t care that babies are being beheaded. Either way, they’ve shown their true colors. I’ve been saying for years that it’s a very short step from supporting killing pre-born babies to supporting killing babies after birth, because there’s little difference. I just didn’t expect that the change would take place this quickly. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi October 16, 2023 Joshua, I notice that the BBC ( a Left-Labourite operation in the U.K.) has forbidden any of its personnel to use the word “terrorist” in connection with the current Israeli-Hamas fighting.
David Whippman October 20, 2023 Joseph, it’s a fact that in Britain (probably the USA too) the far left has always contained a strong element of Jew-hatred. In the UK, it was largely ignored because the far left almost never had as much media attention as the extreme right. With Corbyn as Labour leader, that changed. Nick Cohen’s book “What’s Left?” gives a detailed account of how the extreme left (mainly in Britain) painted itself into a moral corner. Joshua’a excellent poem exemplifies this. Reply
Joshua C. Frank October 20, 2023 Thank you, David. I remember when the left considered Jews to be one of its protected groups. Now that they’re so chummy with Muslims, they’ve withdrawn this protection to curry their favor. Of course, this “friendship” with Muslims extends only one way, as many in Europe have learned the hard way.
Roy Eugene Peterson October 15, 2023 Joshua, your intense poem portrays the symptoms of leftist support for barbarism in its many forms and exposes their uncivility. Reply
David Whippman October 15, 2023 The other reviewers said it all. Thanks for this piece that encapsulates the moral bankruptcy of the far left. Reply
Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 Thank you, David. Though I’m not sure it’s just the far left, as the far left merely takes what the moderate left believes and brings it a few steps closer to its logical conclusion. Reply
Paddy Raghunathan October 15, 2023 Joshua, Leaving my political beliefs aside, your satire is mostly spot on. I do disagree with the assessment folks have made about moral bankruptcy of the left. They have never had any morality to begin with. Best regards, Paddy Reply
Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 Thank you, Paddy. It’s nice to know that you and I can finally agree on something. I agree, leftism defines itself by being contrary to what all peoples in history have known to be moral. Reply
Joshua C. Frank October 15, 2023 By contrast, the Israelis have destroyed the Gaza Strip’s only Planned Parenthood clinic: https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/israeli-airstrike-destroys-gazas-only-planned-parenthood-affiliated-clinic-5510035 Hamas beheads Jewish babies, while the Israelis save even the babies of their enemy from the same fate. No wonder the left hates Israel. Reply
Joshua C. Frank October 16, 2023 One more article saying the same thing I’m saying: https://amac.us/newsline/national-security/its-not-just-hamas-the-lefts-shameful-history-of-glorifying-murderous-tyrants/ Reply
Brian A. Yapko October 23, 2023 Continuing the discussion, this opinion piece which discusses the differing mindset of the left versus the right is about as thoughtful a discussion as I’ve seen. The left and the right really do analyze human behavior — and, therefore, politics — with completely incompatible paradigms. https://www.thefp.com/p/the-day-the-delusions-died-konstantin-kisin Reply
Joshua C. Frank October 23, 2023 Brian, thank you for supplying this link. It’s nice to hear that people are leaving the woke movement over this! Hopefully some of them will gradually adopt more conservative beliefs, as I did starting in my 20s. For me, the moment was when I realized liberalism’s stated values were contradictory (examples: feminism and multiculturalism; freedom to act and protection from oppression; preserving liberalism and unrestricted immigration) and that the system was naturally unstable and unsustainable (due to low birth rates and encouraging immigration from countries that don’t believe in liberalism). Whatever the inciting incident, I think what makes individuals drift rightward politically is that moment where they realize that the unconstrained vision is bogus, that they had better stop trying to make 2+2=5 before they spend their lives at it and fail. Reply
Michael Vanyukov November 27, 2023 While the depravity of Hamas is absolute and those savages are beyond redemption, the abortionist progressives, at least some, may yet be convinced and understand their errors. Nonetheless, those of them who support Hamas definitely share with Muslim savages disregard for human life if not the sadistic pleasure from murder and torture. Reply
Joshua C. Frank November 28, 2023 Michael, thank you for commenting. Before October 7, one could make a case that pro-abortion leftists could be convinced they were wrong. Now that they support Hamas, they’ve shown their true colors. They were never ignorant; they’ve always knowingly supported the murder of children. As I intended to show in this poem, the left is even more evil than Hamas. Reply
Brian A. Yapko November 29, 2023 Well, Josh, we’re once again comparing evils and victims and it’s impossible to do so without offending someone. Yes, the left is evil but it’s a tough sell that it’s more evil than Hamas. Hamas baked a live baby to death in the kitchen oven in front of his screaming hostage parents just because they were Jewish. Hamas beheaded babies. Hamas raped teenage girls and sliced off their breasts while they were still alive. These are forms of evil which defy comparison. Better not to try in this situation or others because it’s a rabbit hole of whose misery is worse.
Joshua C. Frank November 29, 2023 That’s a good point. I was thinking mostly of the fact that Hamas shows its evils out in the open while the left is sneaky and therefore more effective at achieving the goals of murder, mutilation, etc. But now that I think about it, that could just be my American perspective; perhaps some people in Muslim countries clearly see how their people are manipulated by Islam and think we show our evils out in the open. You’d think I’d remember to consider my own cultural perspective after having dealt so much with French culture! I apologize if I’ve offended anyone with this comment. In any case, I think we can agree that Islam and leftism are both grave evils that need to be eradicated but probably won’t.
Brian A. Yapko November 29, 2023 Thanks, Josh. Yes, we are in complete agreement on those last points. That’s, at least, why it’s important to write and maintain a record of these events and our sane reactions to them.
Joshua C. Frank February 3, 2024 I’m honored that this poem was given an honorable mention in the annual competition. Reply