At the Humanitarian Gate,
Bethlehem, Palestine
Sometimes, it, too, shuts down.
We ask the guard at the shack
that it be opened again.
Most of the time, it is.
I have seen a father
carrying a child
who is pale and feverish,
the father waving his permit
to go through the gate,
trying his best not to look
as worried as he feels.
If the gate stays shut,
we phone the Humanitarian Hotline.
If they answer, which is not always,
they may or may not try
to get the gate to reopen.
Sometimes, they are
ignored altogether—
it is the Israeli governance
that operates the checkpoint,
answerable only to themselves.
It
is a strange, opening-up feeling
to get through the first turnstile,
to cross the tarmac and
to enter the second building
beneath the setting moon.
A sign in Hebrew, Arabic and English
instructs those going through
to the other building to be prepared
to remove all metal items
from their person (e. g; belts),
remove jackets, etc.
The sign ends,
"May you leave in peace
and return in peace."
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