The cactus [saber] exemplifies the cactus-like Palestinian of today … rooted in the land, and locked in a dark present – Nasser Abufarha
You are like your belovèd saber plant
Impossible to completely supplant
Their legendary determined resistance
equally matched by their unnerving persistence
For sure, less noble than their companion the olive tree
they are full of the same bold esprit
Not as beautiful as the poppy
they compensate with other charms they embody
They protect the territory that is rightfully yours
so that the land is secure and endures
Against those who would seek them harm
their embedded thorns are powerful combative arms
Light and often invisible
they make themselves invincible
When the wind carries them on their way
their enemies quickly fall into disarray
But with the loving fellahin who nurture and tender
what succulent rewards do they freely render
Fruits shared in joyful communion
binding longstanding ties of unbreakable union
Their generosity is legendary
in ways that are hereditary
And O, what charms, do ancient rituals
accompany the abundant victuals
World renowned is also their intrinsic patience
so audaciously tenacious
No matter what hardships incurred
they will remain calmly undeterred
Others may be forced to temporarily flee
but their strong roots allow them to survive in perpetuity
No matter what disasters inflicted
they know they will eventually be remitted
A historical witness that refuses to die
They are the living proof of their enemies’ lies
Eternalizing Palestinian identity
prescribing infinite solidarity as a healing remedy
If life is a constant struggle against hardship
their love of life will never be stripped
At the merest flutter of a fresh breeze
what gracious dances are offered by their leaves
They truly are special
for all things existential
Ne’er will their defiance decline
in the Gazan soul and throughout heroic Palestine
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Stuart Ashton is a former University Professor in Philosophy and Culture. He is a decades-long activist against oppression and injustice. He contributed this poem to The Palestine Chronicle.
