Poetry for Palestine

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

Filed under: Articles | Tagged: Deir Yassin, Nakba | 2 Comments »