I Tell the Tale of Palestine – A Poem
To hold on to my sanity, I tell the Tale of Palestine To counter the overwhelming shame of membership in humanity I tell the Tale of Palestine To attempt to have some closure after Sabra/Shatila […]
Poetry
Enough Time for a Ritual – A Poem
The day will come When we may mourn our dead. Grieve our grief. Comfort one another. And carry the coffin and the flag In a solemn procession Wafting like a light cloud Along the bowing […]
Shireen Jenin Sumud – A Poem
Shireen! Shireen! Struck down on Street Jenin Bloodhounds Snarl and bite Her home they storm Her corpse still warm They salivate Gobs of hate Dogs of war Raid hospital ward Bereft respect Dispensing pain Like […]
Parable – A Poem
Malsi, who had never been out of Gaza was picking olives close to the high border wall. She said to her grandmother that she wished the trees were much much taller. But why her grandmother […]
War Crimes in Palestine – A Poem
The children hiding Tonight as bombs Dropping all through The cold dark lonely night, And we are suffering Palestinians tonight, Heavy grey sky and Sadness in my eye, And the little birds Have flew Far […]
Just another War (Poem)
Evasion /invasion /evasion /invasion / invasion evasion killing fields /killing fields / fields that kill humans? / humans kill all victims and survivors of war/ all victims and survivors of war MUST matter rape is […]
Bombshells in Ukraine – A Poem
Tragic that bombs now reign supreme evacuate, leave for safety but not all can get on the busses Outside tv stations and nations come in solidarity Refugees welcome The signs read The literate students and […]
Summer In Palestine – A Poem
Summer by the sea And it’s so beautiful To stop and see the Crashing rhythm of the waves And the salty ocean sprays And the beautiful sweet air blowing softly from sweet scented cherry blossom […]
The Other (Side) – A Poem
I wonder if you wonder how it would feel if the boot were on the other foot; would it make you shudder to be that other that is me? To know what I know […]
Boy With a Stone – A Poem
You can skip your stone on the pond But stay home with your sisters while I am gone And promise your mother, whatever you do You won’t throw a stone where the barbed wire is […]
‘Rise’ & ‘Postcards from Palestine’ – Poems
Rise After Tawfiq Ziad From Nazareth: this light in my eyes, this flame in my blood, and all the pain of Palestine I speak and gladly give – I, the orphan starving, who heard the […]
A Visit Home – A Poem
This poem was written shortly after a conversation with our Palestinian friend Rafiq who, together with his entire village, was expelled by the Israelis in 1948 and forced into exile. He spoke without rancor, just […]
‘Intifada’ & ‘Martyr’: Poems for Palestine
Intifada You. Return to your land And I will go back to mine. You sowed the seed. But it’s nourished by the blood of my brethren. The orange trees bear fruits of red, The olives […]
Two Poems in Protest for Palestine
The protest for Palestine in Manhattan this past month was one of a kind. Erected in wake of ongoing displacements, settlement expansions, and militarized upsurges in East Jerusalem, Palestinian voices have risen to the surface. […]
My Sunbird – A Poem
Hold the hope, my sunbird, Hold that hope. In times of thunder, Choking blazes and smoke, Don’t lose hope. It’s this hope she wants to burn. The vision of home. The passion for the […]
ISRAEL (contd) – A Poem
THE STATE LAND // THE NO-GOS // THE SEAM // THE BUFFER // THE ANNEX // THE WALL // THE FENCE // THE BARRIER // THE WALL // THE FENCE // THE BARRIER // THE […]
Breaking the Silence – A Poem
There’s come a time when it becomes a crime to speak truth of another’s. When false claims damage good names and cause an outcry: the baying for blood and broken bones so others are shown, […]
Mourid Barghouti, A Palestinian Intellectual Icon, In His Own Words
Mourid Barghouti is a renowned Palestinian poet who passed away on Sunday, February 14, at the age of 76, in the Jordanian capital Amman. Born in the Palestinian village of Deir Ghassanah, near Ramallah, in […]
The Ancient Olive Grove – A Poem
From above the valley, Doha gazed down upon her ancient olive grove, cradled in the fertile crescent, not far from Nablus; proud of the beautiful branches: their silent symbolism. Her once soft hands gnarled with […]
Palestine: A Receptacle of Resistance – A Poem
Palestine: a carpet of cadavers, a swamp of blood, a garden of ashen smoke. Olive green of missiles, iron fists of tanks, the blue-black of high caliber guns – Can a place be mangled by […]
Footsteps – A Poem by Mu’in Bseiso
(Translated by May Jayyusi and Naomi Shihab Nye) Brother! If they should sharpen the sword on my neck, I would not kneel, even if their whips lashed my bloodied mouth If dawn is so close […]
Preoccupied in Palestine – Poems
Silent Watch Speech is out of the question. she can tell you everything she needs to with her eyes— At noon, they are pointing out a sniper—and his shadow— watching us eat lunch through a […]
The Human Rights Defender – A Poem
It’s in the Charter, article one, afforded to all or else its undone To Self-Determine is a human right. For it we struggle, for it, we fight. The use of the name is not a […]
A Prayer in the Time of Pandemic
Affirming spirituality as the power over life and death I aspire to achieve this spirituality that is nothing other than the blending of love and mystery cherishing wonder at a precarious precipice, respecting knowledge prayer […]
Three Palestinian Love Poems for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day in Palestine has a different taste. True, the tradition of gifting boxes of chocolates and bouquets of flowers has been quite popular in Palestine for some time now, but love for Palestinians is […]
Because We Are Thieves – A Poem
Now afterwards, the memories wash over me. My strongest memory is of all the conversations. I was often questioned. My questions led to counterquestions. I was evaluated and my motives, personal values were rejected. I […]
One Very Important Question – A Poem
One Very Important Question of our time, Is what will become of Palestine? The world came together post world war two, to ensure that global annihilation would never ensue. The UN created a court, named […]
Forgetting 2019 – A Poem
asphalt rain darkens green fields eco-extinction flares Amazon skies fake leaders slithering toward real dangers hither and yon seek safe havens gated nations hiding from truth screaming ‘no’ migrants fleeing despair pleading ‘please’ hiding from […]
Sixty Years ago: A Reflection on the Day of My Birth – A Poem
Sixty years ago today I entered this world. with native wonders and mysteries as my life unfurled I have felt God’s hand on me from earliest recall steadying me when I stumble, lifting me when […]
The Chidren’s Voices – A Poem
The children’s voices, can’t you hear some voices distant, some voices near Some are calm, but most are not in their beds or on a cot Children sleeping having dreams but there’s no laughter, only […]
