“Peace/Piece” by Dan Grossman

Unsplash image by Toa Heftiba, @heftiba

Peace/Piece

The peace negotiated in supposed good faith between Israel 
and Jordan
the Palestinian pieces of territory that Ariel Sharon surrounded
with settlements
the Camp David peace accords that Anwar Sadat paid for
with his life
the shattered pieces of their lives that German Jews failed to 
reassemble after Kristalnacht 
the real peace that the Israelis and Palestinians have yet
to forge with one another
the piece of paper that served as Yitzhak Rabin’s death
warrant when he signed it
the false peace à la Bibi Netanyahu that would snuff out all 
Palestinian aspirations
the pieces of land that Yasser Arafat tried to stitch together 
under his rule
the peace treaty he refused to sign because he didn’t want to 
wind up like Anwar Sadat
the pieces of flesh that the Orthodox Zakka gather up after the 
suicide-bombing 
the peace that fails to come over me as I write these verses
to you, my love
the piece of my mind I give you when you forgot our fifth
anniversary;
the sleepy sea-peace you always sink into after we make love 
while I lay awake
the pieces of ass that you’ve chased(including mine) before
landing flat on your ass
the peace of mind I search for in Oprah Winfrey, 
in the Buddhist temple
while you work 70 hours a week striving for a piece
of the American dream.
All  of this just to say that you can’t just get a  piece without 
risking the peace
And what, you ask, is this treaty that I have you sign before
we go to bed?
You want a piece of me not just here and now but always
while we’re still at war! 
We must first initial this comprehensive peace on the seat
of our procreation.