The Holy Carnival of Curiosities

Roll up, roll up, enter the carnival of curiosities. This is the Holy Land. ‘We are the most moral army in the world’, the toy soldiers shout. They point their guns at the white flags, rat-a-tat-tat, and the dolls fall down. Some are tiny, red, red is the stain on the ground. Bang bang, phosphorus fireworks explode in the air, white ash burns the dolls, and they melt.
Watch, enjoy what your pounds, dollars and euros have bought, crunch popcorn as the parachutes fall-bombs or bread, bread or bombs. The dolls shatter as they run for flour, tiny ants on a flying camera.
Boom boom, houses topple down, some dolls disappear, others splinter, doll legs and arms fly apart. The toy soldiers laugh, take pictures on their phones, look, see, here is a pair of panties, red, red and lace. Hollow dolls break and crack in the sun, and nearby children bounce on a castle eating strawberry ice-cream.                           

(c) S.Abdallah
MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images