Poetry for Palestine

 

Hidden dimensions   

My first son Hassan

Was born on April the 9^th

 

You might think

So what… why are you saying it

With such a gloomy tune

What is wrong with 9^th of April?

 

You have to be a Palestinian

To understand

For on the 9^th of April 1948

The massacre of Deir Yassin

Took place

Where every man women and child

Of that peaceful farming village

Was killed in cold blood

No one survived

Except those

Who pretended to be dead

 

As we celebrate the birth of a new born

With joy

We mourn and grief

Lost loved ones

 

In our midst

Nothing comes insular

Nothing is disjointed

No single colours

 

The fabric of our lives

Makes the most amazing tapestry

 

If you hold it backwards

Looking at the wrong side

You’ll see a mirror image

Of shades of a blurred picture

With loops… knots and fraying thread

If you turn it over

It looks much neater

But still you can’t actually see

The full picture

Only colours and shadows

 

But hey… take a little time

And walk backwards

Further back

Look at the tapestry

From a distance

 

You will be amazed

With its outstanding beauty

All these murky shades

That didn’t make sense to you

Even disturbed you

When you were near

 

From far

These dark shadows

Are precisely what makes this piece

So unique

So spectacular

 

These unfathomable hues

Is what give our life portrait

Its depth

And hidden dimensions

 

Since that day of 1948

Many… many babies were born

On April the 9^th

 

Our joys are always stained

With hints of sorrow

 

Our sadness is always coloured

With hues of hope

 

Without which

The tapestry of our lives

Will never be complete

Won’t be as rich

Or as beautiful

 

Don’t waist much time

Staring at the wrong side with fury

Turn it over… walk further back… and feel the glory

 

01-04-2006

****************************************************************

Bad things! Good things!

 

You should be more assertive

You should have more confidence

In your skills

And your strengths

People say

 

But I am truly aware

Of my abilities

I can surely judge

What I can or can’t do

 

I am also aware of my flaws

And believe you me

They are so… so many

 

But I am not ashamed

Of my weaknesses

Despite their vastness

They are there for a reason

 

They keep me in my place

So I don’t grow bigger

Than my own shoes

 

I love my weaknesses

I love my defects 

Thank you God

For all my imperfections

 

Thank you for my fears 

For without them

I could live my entire days

Without ever appreciating

How safe my life is

  

Thank you for my worries 

For without them I can never

Fully enjoy peace of mind

And tranquillity

 

Thank you for my pain

For without it

I can only imagine

What others go through

 

Thank you for my grief

For without it

I cannot sincerely feel

 The heartache of others

How else can I ever

Learn genuine empathy?

© Copyright 2006 Nahida Izzat -PoetryforPalestine – All Rights Reserved