Vorige zomer hebben we het absurde boekje op de kop getikt op een Amerikaanse rommelmarkt. Ik had geen idee dat het om een tijdloze klassieker ging.

Ze moeten chemisch gevaarlijk afval bevatten. Niets helpt. Zijn kroten blijven slijmsporen nalaten op mijn vers gewassen trui. Zelf ossegalzeep is er niet tegen opgewassen. Toemme toch.

Slijmsporen. Blinkende slijmsporen. Van snottebellen. Groene snottebellen. Bas zijn snottebellen. Op mijn trui. Mijn kraakvers gewassen trui. Ze zijn er niet uit te wassen. Waar is tante Kaat ?

Mijn nagelnieuwe gsm heeft al de geest gegeven (wat een rollende alliteratie). Ik had een veertigtal foto’s met het prutstoestel geschoten. Van roze kerstbomen op het schap tot spetters overjarige worcestersaus in het toilet, van een eenzame koffiezet in de sneeuw tot de felle spots van een landingsbaan in een Amsterdamse kunstgalerij. Spijtig. Ik had ze graag gepost.

De bel galmde. “Of ik wist dat er sleutels aan de buitenkant van de voordeur in het slot zaten ?”, vroeg de mevrouw me. Mijn vlakke hand kletste tegen mijn voorhoofd aan. Deze keer was ik nog maar hoogstens twintig minuten thuis.

Young Abdel Mahdi (Shahmay) was only 18 years old,
He was the youngest of nine children, never spent a night away from home.
And his mother held his photograph, opening the New York Times
To see the killing has intensified along the road to peace

There was a tall, thin boy with a whispy moustache disguised as an orthodox Jew
On a crowded bus in Jerusalem, some had survived World War Two
And the thunderous explosion blew out windows 200 yards away
With more retribution and seventeen dead along the road to peace

Now at King George Ave and Jaffa Road passengers boarded bus 14a
In the aisle next to the driver Abdel Mahdi (Shahmay)
And the last thing that he said on earth is “God is great and God is good”
And he blew them all to kingdom come upon the road to peace

Now in response to this another kiss of death was visited upon
Yasser Taha, Israel says is an Hamas senior militant
And Israel sent four choppers in, flames engulfed, tears wide open
And it killed his wife and his three year old child leaving only blackened skeletons

It’s found his toddlers bottle and a pair of small shoes and they waved them in front of the cameras
But Israel says they did not know that his wife and child were in the car
There are roadblocks everywhere and only suffering on TV
Neither side will ever give up their smallest right along the road to peace

Israel launched it’s latest campaign against Hamas on Tuesday
Two days later Hamas shot back and killed five Israeli soldiers
So thousands dead and wounded on both sides most of them middle eastern civilians
They fill the children full of hate to fight an old man’s war and die upon the road to peace

“And this is our land we will fight with all our force” say the Palastinians and the Jews
Each side will cut off the hand of anyone who tries to stop the resistance
If the right eye offends thee then you must pluck it out
And Mahmoud Abbas said Sharon had been lost out along the road to peace

Once Kissinger said “we have no friends, America only has interests”
Now our president wants to be seen as a hero and he’s hungry for re-election
But Bush is reluctant to risk his future in the fear of his political failures
So he plays chess at his desk and poses for the press 10,000 miles from the road to peace

In the video that they found at the home of Abdel Mahdi (Shahmay)
He held a Kalashnikov rifle and he spoke with a voice like a boy
He was an excellent student, he studied so hard, it was as if he had a future
He told his mother that he had a test that day out along the road to peace

The fundamentalist killing on both sides is standing in the path of peace
But tell me why are we arming the Israeli army with guns and tanks and bullets?
And if God is great and God is good why can’t he change the hearts of men?
Well maybe God himself is lost and needs help
Maybe God himself he needs all of our help
Maybe God himself is lost and needs help
He’s out upon the road to peace

Well maybe God himself is lost and needs help
Maybe God himself he needs all of our help
And he’s lost upon the road to peace
And he’s lost upon the road to peace
Out upon the road to peace.

Versleten en met-plakband-bijeengehouden gsm gepikt. Telefoonnummers van dierbaren foetsie. Toemme. Nutteloze netwerknummers van televisiepresentatoren, ministers en andere blaaskaken kwijt. Who cares. Het is niet dat ik ze belde. Nieuwe blinkende gsm gekocht. Zo’n fotocameraatje is leuk speelgoed. Maar hoe krijg ik die foto’s nu hierop ?

Het is niet eenvoudig om een ganse dag op je werk rond te lopen en een scheur van twintig centimeter net onder je kruis te camoufleren.

Er trok iemand aan mijn mouw. Een ‘collega’ uit de ouderraad. De trein tsjokte het station binnen. We stapten druk babbelend op. In Aarschot holden we het perron over. Op zoek naar de echte trein richting thuis.

Onze Magnum fluit.