Osama Massarwa - Palestinian-Israeli Writer & Poet

contemplations

2010-05-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

I look back and see through the mist
How a ruthless and angry fist
Has been crushing my precious peace
And devouring it piece by piece.

I was born on a land of mine
Beautiful, splendid and fine,
But, unfortunately, I am now
A stranger and I don’t know how.

A citizen of a third rate
That’s what I’ve become, what a fate!
A man who is always busted
Because he cannot be trusted.

I’m the native of this great land
Just like its shores and golden sand,
My rights are elementary,
Say geography and history.

It’s my right to grow and prosper
And lead a life nice and proper.
I’m not to be bound and deterred,
And ultimately be transferred.

I should be allowed to survive,
Live in peace and, hopefully, thrive.
Remember this is also my state too
Whatever you inflict or do.

Compromise is the stepping-stone
Toward peace in this, land war-prone;
Peace is the greatest gift and grace
That can save us from this war-curse.

Peace depends on the sanity
Of those who deplore enmity,
And those who have seen so much blood
That can begin a second flood.

Treat the others with the respect
And love you demand and expect.
Be curious to learn their culture
That adds to the human structure.

The world’s full of different colors,
Like a garden full of flowers,
Ah, what a dull and boring place,
The world will be with just one race.

Respect every identity
And every race’s entity,
Don’t hate this or that religion,
Every one has its origin.

If you form the majority,
Still you are a minority,
For it’s a relative matter
So think it over, don’t stutter.

I’m a man not just blood and flesh,
You can’t treat me just as you wish.
I’m a man as free as the wind
That all enmities can transcend.

By building barriers and that wall,
Of course peace will eventually fall.
They’ll definitely undermine
All efforts for peace just and fine.

We need to remove every cuff
That hinders peace or such a staff.
Don’t talk about equality,
Do make it a reality.

We all have to be courageous
To do what’s just and righteous.
To no avail is every deed
That we do if it hate does breed.

Why is it so easy to hold
Onto prejudices so old?
Why do we stick to a belief
That leads to bloodshed and mischief.

Why is it easier to stir
The inhuman elements’ flare
Than build up the mutual trust
Between nations which is a must.

Why should I prove my loyalty
Every day to the royalty?
Why can’t a citizen pursue
His dreams despite what may ensue?

Between the hammer hard and cold
And the anvil they me do hold.
Am I guilty of no reason?
Is my survival a treason?

Life by itself is a value
Not land or any revenue.
Love, compassion, and tolerance
Are the paths to coexistence.

Killing and assassinations,
Violence and accusations
Repeatedly reiterated
Make me feel so irritated.

Your arrogance and vanity
Won’t make peace a reality.
It can’t grow and it never will
As long as you destroy and kill.

Peace can’t live and dwell in a swamp
Where prejudice does leave its stamp.
Peace needs leaders brave and plain
Who seek no political gain.

Nations can’t live just by the sword,
However strong they are and bold,
Constant wars are to no avail,
They only let hatred prevail.

Peace is the key to all conflicts;
War only disasters inflicts.
There are no winners or losers,
At war we’re all the abusers,

Let’s all set up peace high and grand
And not put it down to the ground,
Narrow mindedness only leads
To destruction and pains it yields.

It is much wiser not to fall
In faults whether big or so small.
Why aren’t we any more thinkers?
Why can’t we remove our blinkers?

How can you get the other’s trust
By being unfair and unjust?
How can you be safe and secure
While the other’s rights are obscure?

Acts of mutual violence
Lead to more and more vengeance.
Compromise, on the other hand,
Will make us share this splendid land.

Greatness is the ability
To give up one’s hostility.
Only just peace can make amends,
And make previous foes become friends.

We need a world of peace and love
That glitters like the stars above.
We don’t need the narrow minded
Who make the world with blood flooded.

Peace won’t come through a gun’s barrel,
This way you can’t win this battle.
Peace comes through reconciliation,
Not through acts of retaliation.

To make peace a true prophesy,
You have to change your policy.
With love, honesty and good will
We all can stop this useless kill.

A ceaseless conflict nothing brings;
It will render peace without wings.
We have to live in harmony,
Not in despair and agony.

It’s the duty of everyone
To fight for peace not for the gun.
It’s a pity that the extreme
Have become here the ruling stream.

If we focus on the welfare
Of nations and not on warfare,
The world will be a better place
In which everyone will live in grace.

You can’t be oppressors for long
Even if you’re now great and strong.
You can survive by honesty,
As well as thrive by modesty.

Wars can end everything but hate
Which keeps running deep like one’s fate.
Mad power is self-destructive,
However, it seems productive.

I’m optimistic I confess
No matter how much you oppress.
I do believe that tomorrow
Will yield no more pain or sorrow.

However, it will take some time
To get peace precious and sublime.
Peace will eventually come true
For your own good and mine too.

The Wall

2010-01-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

To stop this catastrophic fall,
You’re building a gigantic wall
Which you believe will stop terror
And help you get rid of horror.
I don’ know, are you realy blind?
Why don’t you look not far behind?
The time of walls has allready lapsed,
They’ve fallen down, just collapsed.
Whatever they represented
Is now world wide resented.
People want to live peacefully,
And cooperate usefully.
They want to live on with respect
And have a much better prospect.
They want to succeed and prosper
And lead a life good amd proper.
They need no more catastrophes,
No more racial philosophies.
They want to exchange expertise,
They do need to use and release
Their frustrated abilities
And find new possibilities.
They don’t need a wall of no avail
Which eventually won’t prevail.
A wall, you think you need so hard,
Will be pulled down someday by hand,
The huge sums being invested
For nothing are being wasted.
The leaders are just selling you
An illusion you think it’s true.
No wall can divide between sides
Living so close within few strides.
A wall can’t bring security
To a fear stricken community.
You have to deal with the causes
Not with the consequences.
Terror feeds on the lack of hope
When people can’t manage or cope
With life’s responsibilities
Or stop future fatalities.
You can’t have peace while you destroy,
Talking peace is another ploy.
No wall at all can alleviate
The feelings of fear or deviate
The problem from its true reasons
No matter how many seasons
Will pass untill you come at last
To the conclusion, hopefully fast,
That you can’ be free and secure
While they continue to endure.
No one can beat the resistance
Of those who fight for existence.
Actually they’ll accelerate
Their fight until they liberate
Their land and have a state of their own,
And as history has always shown,
A wall of iron and concrete
Is just cynical and obsolete.

The wall of mistrust between nations
Always causes tense relations.
This wall you must know won’t keep back
Any body whose life is black.
Instead you have to build a wall
Of trust, respect and life fo all,
A wall of free will and enterprise
By which eaach side can realise
Its own dreams without causing grief
To others or any mischief.
A wall doesn’t separate for a while
Between enemies still hostile.

What Makes

2010-01-27T09:48:00.000-08:00

What makes neighbours stupidly fight?
What makes them lose their inner sight?
What makes extremists keep struggling
While we keep talking and prattling?
What makes them enslaved to their past,
Unable to make a new start?
What makes them so insensitive,
Indifferent and uncreative?
What makes them refuse to reflect
Before they stupidly reject?
What makes them become oppressors
And so unduly aggressors?
What makes a man think he’s a god
Who decides what’s good and what’s bad?
What makes us all narrow minded,
Tied up by greed, wrath and hatred?

The Magic Word

2010-01-27T09:39:00.000-08:00

If you had the right magic word,
Right away you’d make us vanish,
If we had it or the right code,
Your existence we’d soon ravish.
But because neither you nor we
Have that magical skill, let’s think
What the alternative might be-
Peace lest we all fall down and sink.

Love Under Siege

2010-01-27T09:23:00.000-08:00

She was sitting on my usual rock
Where the foamy, restless waves used to flock.
When she turned and charmingly looked,
My soul ahe captured, my heart she hooked.
I tried to fight the spell of her green eyes
Which reminded me of the pure sunrise.
Having failed, I thought of running away,
But she surprisingly urged me to stay.
In fact, she spoke nicely and playfully,
However, I reiterated doubtfully.
My true identity she couldn’t know
Therefore it would be much safer to go.
So I got up but before I could leave
She said something I could hardly believe.
She said she loved me though she tried to fight
Falling in love with me at first sight.
Completely shocked , I intended to flee
For it was a set up, I should get free.
She then explained that race or origin
Had nothing to do with love nor religion.
Yet I told her to be more practical,
The whole issue was in fact cynical.
But she calmed me saying she didn’t care,
Her love, she thought, was genuine and fair.
“Ah, you’re romantic”, I had to explain,
“This queer relationship is hard to sustain.”
She then suggested that it would be best,
If we just tried to put it to the test.
A few weeks passed and every thing was fine,
Until the siege made our lives decline.
I was afraid our love affair of course,
Would be ravished during its deadly course.
Still I went to the sea to wash my fears
And pour away my invisible tears.
Still I continued to sit on my rock,
But the waves my good intentions did mock.
My efforts were vain for she came no more
And I really missed her more than before.
How on earth can we have any relief
When every side adheres to its belief?
Only those who are set to compromise
Can live I peace, there’s no way otherwise.
One day she showed up , but she looked battered,
The dazzle of her eyes was so shattered.
She stepped backward and took a deep breath
Before she said she’d come to seek death.
Her brother whom she wanted to avenge
Had been butchered while crossing a bridge.
“go ahead, kill me if you dare to kill,
He who loves well, can’t kill and never will.”
Suddenly she shivered and dropped the gun
Which went ablaze by the inflaming sun.

That’s Me

2010-01-27T01:04:00.000-08:00

Everyone thinks I’m alright and so cool,
That’s because I play the clown or the fool.
I’m the citizen with the one thousand masks,
I’m the magician with mysterious sacks.
I’m a walking skeleton in my state,
"Better dead than alive’’ some like to state.
I’ve always been terrified, yet I’ve stayed
Just as an olive tree that doesn’t fade.
I’m the weirdest mixure of all structures,
I’m the most haunted by hostile cultures.
I’m the scapegoat of all the invaders
Who come and go, think of the crusaders.
That’s why I do play the fool and the clown
Even though I’m sick and my spirit’s down.
How else can I survive? How else can I be?
That’s me always torn between me and me.

Don Quixote

2010-01-27T01:02:00.000-08:00

Heartache my country always offers me,
A struggle for ‘to be or not to be’,
A hard life I do lead in my country,
Just into dungeon I’m grante entry.
Citizenship is just more than being,
It’s behaving, believing and feeling,
I can’t enjoy my citizenship
Because of this queer relationship.
My brethren are at war with my own state,
How am I supposed to relate?
Here I don’t exist, I just eat and drink,
Nobody cares whether I feel or think.
I have no role to play whatsoever,
What can I do? What can I endeavor?
I’m Don Quixote trying to fix the world,
But my reward is a life dark and cold.

Oh country

2010-01-27T01:01:00.000-08:00

Oh country so indifferent,
I wish you would claim me someday,
Oh countrymen not different,
Hold me tight lest I go astray.
You have one last refuge- reason,
Once you listen, you’ll never fail,
Acceptance cannot be treason,
It surely helps you to set sail.
Denying others’ legal rights
Emplies denying your own too,
You incite everlasting fights
By ignoring what’s just and true.
Compromising must be mutual,
Thus the reward goes to each side,
Stabborness is not practical,
It makes the opponents collide.
A real leader can change history,
A fake one nothing can change,
He can never bring victory,
Only futile wars he can wage.
Historical conflicts are solved
Only by reconciliation,
They can never be resolved
By wars or annihilation.
Wars breed hatred and bitterness,
All sacrifices are in vain,
In the long run you shall witness
In compromising lies your gain.
So what’s the use of more killing?
Why do we have to keep grieving?
Ultimately we’ll be willing
To pick up what’s we’re now heaving.
A leader must have a vision
That can help change reality,
Any thinking or decision
Must relate to humanity.
Alas in our abnormal state
Such a leader did find his death,
Since extremists control its fate
It will never regain its health.

A collective Grave

2010-01-27T01:00:00.000-08:00

Suddenly home was a collective grave,
Even the gray cat nobody could save.
If its nine lives were just of no avail,
Who could survive? The elderly so frail!?
They lived in thay ugly, rotten building
All their lifetime and they kept on holding
Onto it as if it was their life belt,
Or everything that their lives really meant.
Many times the city officials tried
To evacuate them, but they denied
For they knew it wasn’t out of concern
For their welfare, but in order to gain
Control of the building as they’d done
With thousands of buildings already gone.
It has always been the state’s policy
(Whatever they say is sheer heresy),
Not to permit any innovation
Of Arab houses or restoration.
This is one of the procedures the state
Has long been taking to evacuate
The Arabs from their buildings or houses
Which are mostly located in mixed cities.
As a result over the years the stones
Of that shelter looked just like olden bones
Dug out of an ancient tomb and scattered
All over the yard already battered.
As a rotten piece of cheese were the walls
The windows of which resembled black holes.
At last the rotten skeleton fell apart
Burying those who refused to depart
Since it was more acceptable to die
Than give up their home and believe a lie.

The Sea Is Serene

2010-01-27T00:59:00.000-08:00

The sea is serene today,
The sky is crystal clear,
The golden sand’s fair for play
But forsaken out of fear.
The promenade by the sea
Is so wide enough for walks,
But no sound of jubilee
Is voiced by the walking folks.
So cool and calm is the night,
So glittering is the moon,
But everyone out of fright
Has hurried inside so soon.
The hills wonderfully bloom,
What a colorful array!
Yet some adventurers roam
While the rest indoors do stay.
Listen, the birds nicely sing,
Ah, what a sweet melody!
So skillfully they do swing
Ignoring our tragedy.
The ears of corn gleam in the sun,
Daffodils are everywhere,
But peace, alas, is long gone,
Yet noboy seems to care.
Once there was an enemy
Who fought many a battle,
But he was killed, oh dear me,
For trrying to end the struggle.
Peace that was once within reach,
Is now very far away,
For here extremists do preach
Yet we don’t stand in their way.
That night the birds were singing
And the world was singing too,
My heart as well was ringing
The old dream which might come true.
But deadly flashes of light
Pierced the so elated heart,
And peace I thought was in sight
Tragically fell apart.
There’s no shred of sanity
As we are enslaved to greed,
What a sad humanity
That has abandoned its creed.
Here it can be paradise
And life can be fantastic,
But because we fail to rise
It’s become melancholic.
Here for everyone there’s room
If we learn to reconcile,
Otherwise we’ll meet our doom,
So try to think for a while.
Life can be happy and great
If we do cooperate,
In such a terrible state
we can not communicate.
Yet I still harbor some faith,
We’ll live in peace someday,
The land will have a new birth,
Once we choose the right way.

Yesterday They Were

2010-01-27T00:58:00.001-08:00

Yesterday they were in diapers,
Now they’re in the killing forces,
They’re well built killers,trained nipers
With helmets veiling their faces.
Some stroll in shining uniforms,
Others in dismal white clothing,
Hatred has a one thousand forms
And they all enjoy blood bathing.
Brainwashed they’re ready to murder,
Their hands no more hold the toy guns,
Although they try to look bolder,
They’re still the little frightened sons.
They go to battles they can’t win,
They kill and get killed uselessly,
If they protest it’s a grand sin
And they are defamed ceaselessly.
They die and some call them heroes,
While others call them martyrs,
Their wounds are as deep as furrows
And yet I believe they’re friars.
Yesterday they swam like dolphins
And squabbled about trivial things,
Now some are enclosed in coffins,
While others have no arms or legs.
Leaders with blinkered opinions,
Bound by shackles they can’t escape,
Send soldiers as strong as stallions
To kill, destroy, ravish and rape.
Wars for heaven’s sake have been made
To sanctify the leaders’ greed,
Youths before time in graves are laid
To satisfy those who still lead.
There’s not any sense in killing
Whether on this side or that side,
There’s not any sense in filling
The earth with graves which you can’t hide.
This on going fight is futile,
Eventually parts will have to talk,
Without willing to reconcile
Mere talking is just a sick joke.
We need to have a new vision
To deliver all of us here,
This wall can’t bring division,
But many are too deaf to hear.
Peace is the war we all must wage
Against fanatic extremists,
We have to stop this bloody rage
Kindled by fundamentalists.
Though leaders are indoctrinated
And their folly is immutable,
I’m not to be damn frustrated
Since my spirit’s indomitable.
Someday people will cast away
The fear with which they are injected,
They’ll find out that the only way
Is peace They’ve so far rejected.

Damn It

2010-01-27T00:56:00.000-08:00

Oh, Damn it, damn it,
Surely you’re not fit.
Oh, damn it, you all
Just play with my soul.
For many decades
You’ve caused me headaches.
You seem to talk peace
While you wage wars fierce.
Oh,we’re not your slaves
To get on our nerves.
Neither we are puppets
Nor we are rabbits.
Though this show of yours
Has been on for years,
It has to end now
And you damn know how.
Give up your old dreams,
Stop your hideous schemes.
Don’t treat us like fools,
Don’t use us as tools.
Peace needs deeds not words
So put down you swords.
We’re sick of false hopes
And dancing on ropes.
Our lives are the price
For your deadly dice.
Our lives aren’t a bet
To be fixed or set.
We deserve to be
Happy and carefree.
Peace is all we need,
We don’t want to bleed,
We don’t want to die
While leaders still lie.
Stop talking and talking
While peace is breaking.
Damn it, we need some time
Away from war and crime.
Without compromise
Here’s not paradise.
The best of our years
Have drowned in our tears.
life which is bitter
Should be just better.
What’s wrong with us all?
Why can’t we stop the fall?
If we are sincere,
We must not adhere
To vain policies,
Or damn fallacies.
Alas we’re silent
Though to wars we’re sent.
Still the play goes on
Since we depend on
The same damn players
And the same prayers.

It’s Not a Sin

2010-01-27T00:55:00.000-08:00

It’s not a sin to steal the fruit of peace,
But it’s damn sinful if you don’t reveal
It’s healing nectar and do introduce,
Otherwise like a common thief you steal.
Instead of death we mostly produce
In order to get some sinister deal,
Instead of prejudice we much induce,
We should show tolerance we really feel.
We always entertain just a short truce
For each day encompasses an ordeal,
Why is it hard for people to deduce
That war is futile like a punctured wheel?
Unfortunately they’re determined to fight
So as to catch in their net the sunlight.

I Surveyed

2010-01-27T00:53:00.000-08:00

I surveyed the human heritage
While father was dying of old age.
Millions of people before age
Fall aimlessly like dry foliage.
Infants, children, men and women
Die not due to disasters, famine,
Diseases and catastrophes
But due to their leaders’ greed for trophies.
People pay for their vanity
And lack of creativity.
Sometimes you see some spots of light,
Yet the sky is still dark at night.
We destroy by false dignity
What we build with humility.
Young soldiers with far reaching dreams
Have fallen for their leaders’ schemes.
Orphans and widows go to graveyards
Instead of gardens and Disney lands.
Are these wars inevitable?
Is peace really improbable?
We’re irritatingly naïve
For we prefer to die and grieve.
History repeats itself we all know,
Why don’t we learn? Why are we so slow?
I can’t understand people here,
They simply can’t see what’s so clear:
You’ll get true peace once you withdraw,
Occupation is just a sraw.
The more you seek occupation,
The more you cause humiliation.
But can you do that forever?
Will you get peace this way? Never.
Security is just guaranteed
Once you give up your pride and greed.
You’re strong but from within you’re weak,
Moral strength is all you must seek.
It’s the way to security,
While pride leads to impurity.
Oh God , show us your way and grace,
Have mercy on the human race.

Hadn’t the Night

2010-01-27T00:51:00.000-08:00

Hadn’t the night spread its mantle,
They would have died in the battle.
Two enemies one from each side
Trying to get away or hide.
The bush could offer them shelter
So as to avoid each other,
But could they escape the wild beasts
That were looking for human feasts?
Many a time they were a threat
To those who passed through or there dwelt.
In fact they were responsible
For many deaths and quite possible
They would very soon start to flood
Drawn by the smell of flesh and blood.
The two enemies, however,
Feared to encounter each other
Ignoring the hyenas which
Began to loom out of a ditch.
So as darkness was thickening,
The hyenas kept threatening.
Meanwhile their great pain continued
Though they did show much fortitude.
However bad they were wounded,
Their suspicions loudlier sounded.
The moon suddenly lit the zone
Where scattered corpses could be shown.
Hideous movement was felt around,
Yet they couldn’t utter a sound.
Each other they kept avoiding
Though they were seriously bleeding.
The movement became tense and heads
Did pop out of the grassy beds.
The sounds grew louder and louder
And danger got much closer.
Still they remained nailed to their fear
And soon the hyenas would them tear.
The beasts became so persistent
That the danger was imminent.
They just had to work together
Or they’d be doomed altogether.
Finally one of them ventured out
And unexpectedly began to shout.
He looked bewildered and dizzy
When he came forward in frenzy.
“Why aren’t you shooting?” He shouted
Although terrified he sounded.
Completely taken by surprise
The other foe could hardly rise.
He looked weak, haggard and so pale
That even to talk he would fail.
But he pulled himself together
And managed somehow to stutter,
“I’ve got some bullets but no gun,
I’ve lost it, so what can be done?”
“It’s all right; throw them to me now,
My gun is still with me somehow,
But I’m short of bullets that’s why
I couldn’t shoot but you and I
Will soon drive these bastards away
And call for help without delay.”

Farwell

2010-01-27T00:48:00.000-08:00

“Farewell” she said and ran away
Without looking back just for once,
Overwhelmed nothingI could say
For it was the end of romance.
Yet I had to be on my way
So as not to miss the last bus,
Though mesmerized I couldn’t stay
And try to make a useless fuss.
I tried to be as tough as her
And leave all we had shared behind,
Not because I just didn’t care,
But I had to make up my mind.
I stood at the bus stop hoping
I’d manage somehow to forget,
I knew we couldn’t keep coping
For each one here was a target.
Love however strong can’t survive
In a state of so much hatred,
Here It’s hard to stay alive
For life’s not anymore sacred.
When the bus finally arrived,
I sat at the far back and sank
Into deep depression and dived
Into despair totally blank.
At this turn of my troubled life
Oblivion should spread its mantle
And burry down my ceaseless strife
Along with my long lost struggle.
Yet I had to have a strong will
And the skill to walk in the rain
Without getting wet for I still
Couldn’t afford to lose my brain.
For this is the land of madness,
The land of greed and vanity,
Though shrouded in severe sadness,
Many like this reality.
Most stupidly they still digest
Their long rooted beliefs and fears,
Unable to try and suggest
That occupation the land tears.
History has shown that the brave
Can bring change, but there is no one,
And though things are seriously grave
Nothing so far has been really done.
God almightly, give me power
To maintain my humanity,
Here every day or even hour
A man may lose his sanity.
I wish it was just a bad dream,
Or a trick or an illusion,
For my frustration was extreme
And ten fold my own confusion.
The bus jerked to a stop and shook
My whole being tragically,
I felt as if a deadly hook
Had caught me damn critically.
In fact we all feel so nervous
Whenever we get on a bus,
For it’s become so dangerous
That any harm may befall us.
Safety’s here a far-fetched term,
Every thing is quite ominous,
Life is no more stable and firm
Actually it’s so precarious.
Wherever one goes, he feels unsafe,
Whether in this side or that one,
He’s like a vulnerable waif
For whom nothing right has been done.
For myself I could be injured
Even killed like many others,
Terror is known to have murdered
All colors, sheer killing matters.
The bus moved on and once again
I sank into bewilderment,
Her decision not to remain
Was a source of astonishment.
I knew she was unpredictable
And so revolutionary,
Though such love is unacceptable,
Yet she always did the contrary.
She never gave up upon me
Though she used to have arguments,
Her folks insisted she should be
More careful about her movements.
However, she seemed not to care
For strong was the relationship,
Great experiences we did share,
We just ignored all censorship.
In fact she was so strong and free
That she always had the spirit
To do things or set off to see
Things that were beyond the limit.
I remember how heartedly
We laughed at our own remarks,
And how we unexpectedly
Ventured out ignoring the land marks.
“Please remind me to remind” I used to ask her cunningly,
“Well remind me to remind you
To remind me” she’d say laughingly.
Ah, so much we used to wander
And watch all kinds of migrating birds,
So much we used to look in wonder
At green meadows and grazing herds.
Each other we could anderstand
Actually before we did speak,
We always sauntered hand in hand
Where no one at all could us seek.
But now every thing was over,
I wouldn’t see her once again,
I wish I would soon recover
And avoid having to complain.
The bus slowed down and then halted,
I looked ahead and felt so bad,
Oh, how much those jams I hated,
But this was the worst I ever had.
That night a bus was exploded
And they said it was as bad as hell,
Was she safe or was she wounded?
Would I be safe? No one could tell.

Emptiness

2010-01-27T00:47:00.000-08:00

I’m bound to overwhelming emptiness,
The way a horse is bound to its harness.
I always get myself inside a bubble,
Hoping to keep myself out of trouble.
But is that possible? I’m not damn sure,
In such a painful state we just endure.
For many years I’ve been telling myself
We just can’t keep sitting on the shelf.
Thousands of people alas have nothing to say,
They think they can be out of trouble this way.
They do cry their hearts out but secretly,
Not knowing that they order their own death
By remaining silent and holding their breath.
So think it over, overcome your fear
Before it’s too late and the cost is dear.

I Envy

2010-01-27T00:45:00.000-08:00

I envy every citizen
Who lives in a state if his own
Where he’s not seen as a burden
Sinece he was unluckily born.
I envy every citizen
Who’s able to communicate
With the rest of his countrymen
Who share him his mutual state.
I envy every citizen
Who holds his country’s emblem
And gets very excited when
He listens to its anthem.
I envy every citizen
Who enjoys his country’s beauty
Whether it’s dry, hot and barren,
Or fertile,cool,mild and fuity.
I envy every citizen
Who in times of joy rejoices,
And once the state’s badly stricken,
His deep condolences he voices.
I envy every citizen
Who has a sense of belonging
And once he lands on lands foreign,
He suffers the pangs of longing.

Dracula

2010-01-27T00:43:00.000-08:00

Dracula’s back, he’s still alive,
He’s got many ways to survive.
Sometimes a freak may rule a state,
Though he’s Dracula incarnate.
He just feeds on innocent blood,
Insatiable so it should flood.
Ironically some suggest
He’s the new era’s peace prophet.
Of course he’s worshipped by his kind,
For they have the same twisted mind.
They make fun of us every day,
Still we smile for we have no say.
They’ve become the world’s ‘directors’,
It’s their stage and they’re its ‘protectors’.
We’re sacrificed to their pleasure
And they take whatever measure.
The end, to impose their own will,
The means ‘justified’ burn and kill.
The end paradoxically
And damn it ironically
Is the ‘welfare of the human race’
Which they actually do deface.
The means ideological,
Religious or political
Still causes chaos and terror
And inflicts despair and horror.
War always leads to destruction
Which then leads to the obstruction
Of all efforts to peace making,
The result of course is just talking.
Hatred is destructive to man,
Restrain it as much as you can.
Hatred, whatever excuses
You may have, evil produces.
There’s nothing sacred about war,
Nothing humane, money’s the core.
In our time all leads to this end,
Whatever the means, the same blend.
There’s Dracula in every one
While nothing has been rightly done.
We fight evil by devilish means,
Transparent in every day’s scenes.
Those who need Dracula’s favor,
Fill thier mouths with mud and water.
So what if millions die or will,
as long as their pockets they fill.
The dead just get what they ‘deserve’,
For they all Draculas preserve.
Somebody of course has to pay,
The innocent I hear them say.

O Brook Winding

2010-01-27T00:42:00.000-08:00

O brook winding through the meadows,
The water of which used to quench
Our thirst while bold and brisk sparrows
To pick up food approached our bench.
Though you’ll be forever flowing,
No lovers like us can feel you,
Not even the cool breeze blowing
Against the trees laden with due.
Ah trees under which we oft made
Love wildly and passionately,
You’ll see no more lovers whose trade
Was to roam affectionately.
Ah nature nurturing lovers,
You’ll have no lovers to embrace,
We who have explored your covers,
Unfortunately lost our place.
Ah soft, serene and smooth lagoon
Hidden from the polluters’ eyes,
From now on you’l have just the moon
As your companion and our sighs.
Ah flying and migrating bands
Posing as if you were in trance,
You won’t see in whatever land
Such lovers engaged in romance.
Ah colorful fields we used to roam
Ah shores to which we used to go,
Ah valleys used to be our home
Just a couple of hours ago.
For after years of damnation,
Hatred, prejudice and mistrust,
After years of segregation
No wonder such a love would bust.

Had I known

2010-01-27T00:40:00.002-08:00

Had I known that love at first sight
Would cast me in an awful blight,
Had I known that it would collapse
Under the pressure of mishaps,
Had I known that different cultures
And unequal social structures
Would cherish animosity,
Prejudice and strong enmity,
Had I known that we couldn’t fight
The mountains of mistrust and doubt
That do keep both peoples apart
And deprive them from a new start,
Had I known that it would prove true
Whatever they said you will do,
Had I known that I shouldn’t hope
We would manage somehow to cope
With whatever problems we’d face
Due to this enigmatic case,
Had I known that one’s religion,
Color, race, birth and origion
Would become a big obstacle
Which only a great miracle
Could really mangae to subdue
So as to rescue me and you,
I shouldn’t have fallen for you,
Or I shouldn’t at least continue,
But because I love you so much,
I can’t do anything but clutch
To this unique relaionship
That does look like a ghostly ship.

Wishful Thinking

2010-01-27T00:40:00.001-08:00

I wish I could be for a while
Dis engaged from all exigencies
Of place and time and have a smile
Defying all contingences.
Oh, if I could only take you
For a walk bare footed on the shore,
Dip our hearts as we used to do
And have them refreshed as before.
Oh, if I could quit things mundane
And escape man’s impurities,
Oh, if I could change the world insane
And expose its futilities.
Oh, for a moment’s brave embrace
Defying all racial rejections,
A kiss as hot as a furnace
Melting national restrictions.
Oh , for a chat as clamorous
As the sea gulls’ conversations,
A bath in the sun glamorous,
Free from terror expectations.
I wish I could be wandering
Once again upon hills blooming
With white almond trees glittering
Wherever we were used to roaming.
I’m so much wishfully thinking,
Yearning for things ordinary,
But alas I’m only sinking
Into all the things contrary.
Of course it’s a natural result
Of this everlasting struggle,
And this deadly and destructive cult
That has turned our lives into rubble.

Just a Visit

2010-01-26T12:52:00.000-08:00

“No, we won’t let you go to him,
We don’t want another victim.”
A Jewish friend of mine was once told
For being so foolishly bold.
He was damn eager to see me,
But that , they thought, could never be.
“Are you insane? Is this the time?”
They reprimanded time after time.
No matter how hard they pleaded,
He wouldn’t be persuaded.
“I have to see him” he did say,
“I wouldn’t stay behind, come what may.”
We’ve been visiting each other
Since we went to school together.
We always took pride in our friendship
Though others condemned the relationship.
They would say to defend their stand,
“We love you, try to understand.
We have nothing against you friend,
We are just too worried and cncerned,
So please don’t go , it’s safer here,
You’re the only one left, dear.
In times like ours it’s insane
To be friendly and damn humane.”
Nevertheless he insisted,
However hard they resisted.
To be honest they might be right,
Death spares no place at day or night.
Life’s so precarious, but who cares
How deep the wounds every one bears.

In a Village

2010-01-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

Here I am, wandering in a village
The skin of which still bears the scars of rage.
Wherever I go, death has left its trail,
I can’t do anything but wail and rail.
Here’s a ball made of old rags which the boys
Used to play with, how deafening the noise.
The deserted playing ground still echo
Their laughter before they were forced to go.
The old, broken and forsaken straw stools
Still reiterated the story of those fools.
Here’s a fireplace surprisingly hot
On top of which there’s a boiling tea-pot.
The baby was snatched before being fed,
His full bottle’s lying nearby dead.
The rocking cradle is turned upside down,
With the baby’s stuff and a paper crown.
Near the clayey oven some loaves of bread
Have been tossed away out of fear and dread.
Inside a stiffling room on a table
There’s an oily and coverless fable.
The reader , a child perhaps, stopped reading
Where the dragon has got the lamb bleeding.
Approaching steps prove that I’m not alone,
Then a warning, “ it’s a military zone.”

Still Shines

2010-01-26T12:49:00.000-08:00

Still shines the sun
Despite the gun
And what we’ve done
To peace long gone.
Still shines the sun
Down lands of blood
Which seems to flood
As thick as mud.
Still shines the sun
Down the earth’s crust
Where men of dust
Still have no trust.
Still shines the sun
Though we don’t try
And seem so shy
To question why.
Still shines the sun
Down fields of crime
Where youths sublime
Are killed in prime.
Still shines the sun
Down empires
Whose vampires
Look like friars.
Still shines the sun
While we do fight
At day and night
For wrong or right.
Still shines the sun
While others bleed
And some do greed
Driven by greed.
Still shines the sun
Down all collars
And all colors
Killed or killers.

Should We Wait

2010-01-26T12:48:00.000-08:00

Oh, should we wait for the Jews’ conversion
So as to be able to live and love,
Why can’t we just make the right decision
And set free that crippled and imprisoned dove?
The most precious days of our existence
Are spent in an everlasting struggle,
We resist the idea of acceptance
And go on fighting many battles.
We sell our soul to Satan though we think
We do so just for the sake of heaven,
We summon the demons witthout a blink
And pretend we worship no god heathen.
Such animosity we can’ survive
Unless we decide to live peacefully,
If we do seek justice we shall revive
And live happily and respectfully.
Recognition of every people’s rights
Leads the way to true reconciliation,
These endless, ruthless and destructive fights
Will just lead to self annihilation.
All resources, alas, go just to war
Which will eventually lead to no end,
We destroy our foundations to the core
Until there’s nothing we can do or mend.
So what’s your decision going to be?
Would you rather take the way down to hell
Than take the way that can save you and me?
We can both survive if we both choose well.

A regiment of Leaves

2010-01-26T12:45:00.000-08:00

A regiment of leaves dry, dull, dark, dead,
Flying, flapping, fluttering in the wind,
Rustling, rattling, flattering, sputtering
And a small piece of advice stuttering
About how once they were so vividly green,
Glittering, glistening, ah what a scene!
They were so excited to have eavesdropped
To the the secret of love and never stopped
Until they dropped dead like shot down birds
Or buffalloes or any hunted herds.
Yet I don’t lament their fall and absence
For next spring they’ll come back to existence.
They’ll come back as green as ever again,
Canopies to cover the naked plain.
Oh those young regiments who won’t come back,
Confined before time in graves cold and dark,
Sent to fight in futile wars and battles
And got killed in everlasting struggles.
They won’t be seen next spring or any spring,
They’re gone forever but the pains still sting.

I Watched

2010-01-26T10:19:00.000-08:00

I watched two young shepherds grazing
Their sheep while the sun was blzing.
They seemed not to notice the heat,
Or the cracked ground under their feet,
What troubled them was the grass scarce,
Though whatever they found was a grace.
A furrowed path kept them apart,
Yet they refrained from taking part
In any kind of dialogue
Except for a dull monologue,
Or a warning to a naughty sheep
That ventured down the hill steep.
Then I had this realization
That the queer sounds they did say
While I was jogging up the way,
Were enough to communicate
With the animals or relate.
All their life long they just needed
Some funny sounds never heeded.
Actually I was so amused
Though different were the sounds they used.
Whatever they meant I couldn’t tell,
But all seemed to be doing well.
As for myself I was envious,
Much worse I was madly furious.
With all the gifts that God does give,
Why on earth can’t we in peace live.
With all the languages we speak
And the achievements every week,
Why can’t we tolerate each other
And communicate much better?

Forgetfulness

2010-01-26T10:16:00.000-08:00

In Arabic ‘insan’ means ‘man’ and yet
It implies ‘to forget’, how appropriate.
It’s strange though that some like to remember
For they think this way they’ll stick together.
It might be true, but if you’re obsessive
You might turn out to be damn oppressive.
Living in the memory of the past
Stops you from taking a creative start.
You must not goad yourself into hating,
Intimidating and relegating,
You have to be sensitive to others
And stop interfering with their daily matters.
Your pain others shouldn’t antagonize,
Instead it should teach you to sympathize.
You just can’t be secure at their expense,
No matter how powerful is your fence.
You’re strong if you show compassion,
You’re weak if fanatic is your passion.
You shouldn’t be slave to your memory,
Or to you strength great but temporary.

Coming Home

2010-01-26T10:14:00.000-08:00

Queuing up for the airplane to go home,
I was glad to leave the airport of Rome.
My heart was singing as if it were a lark,
Ah sweet home, how exciting to be back.
Yet it is a kind of paradoxical,
This whole feeling is just illogical.
Whenever I leave my depressing state,
I feel like leaving through a prison gate.
It’s a chance to have a few days of rest
Before coming back to my usual quest.
Just then I can get rid of frustration,
Discrimination and indignation.
However, once I touch a forgein land,
I miss the country, every grain of sand.
Oh, what a perplexing situation!
What a queer and heart breaking relation!
How am I supposed to feel or believe?
Shall I rejoice, dear God, or shall I grieve?
I love my country, Yet I want to flee
To a place where I can be safely free,
But once I’m free, I can’t wait to come back
To the same ordeal, to the same crack.
I love my countrymen whom I pity
For being neither clever nor witty.
They’re easily brainwashed and led astray,
They’re too frightened to try and break away.
They desperately yearn for peace, for sure,
Yet they do nothing at all but endure.
Their meaningless fear and lust for power
Are so immense that they can’t endeavor
To take a courageous measure or turn
Rather than destroy, oppress, kill and burn.
Meanwhile let’s hope and earnestly pray
We’ll live in peace and harmony someday.

God of Peace

2010-01-26T10:09:00.000-08:00

Hopefully this is the last battle,
Ah God, spread your luminous manttle,
Save us by your enlightening light,
Put an end to this meaningless fight.
Oh God, show us your mysterious ways,
And bless us with a few peaceful days.
We need to feel secure and alive
Without having to kill to survive.
Oh Peace as far as the stars above,
Do hover over us ,precious dove,
Splash our faces with your glorious beams,
Redeem and help us fulfill our dreams.
Oh Peace grant us your bounteous grace,
Cherish the miserable human race,
Save every war prone area in the world,
Spare everybody’s life young and old.
Keep elightening our hearts and minds,
Hurl your favors of all sorts and kinds.
God of peace, what have we been preaching?
What have our sermons been teaching?
All killings, hatred amd destruction
Are due to Satan’s damn instruction.
God , You don’t need false sermons, You need
True men in accordance with your creed,
You don’t need any so called temples
Which do feign to voice your principles.
God, You’re great, powerful and divine,
Never to be deceived by a false shrine.
You want piety and sincerity,
You don’t need those who lack purity.
God of peace, You’re worshipped by us all,
Yet we shed in you name blood and soul.
Oh God, isn’t it so ironic?
What’s worse isn’t it catastrophic?
Oh You who believe in God, come round,
Drop your arms if to His will you’re bound.

Dreams

2010-01-26T10:08:00.000-08:00

For forty years I’ve been dreaming of peace,
Yet it’s been breaking, alas, piece by piece.
When I was a child daddy used to say
That peace would be a reality someday.
Though he was certain he’d be dead by then,
It would be a grace for his grandchildren.
He died and I’m still waiting and hoping
For the better though silently weeping.
How many generations must live and die
Before this crippled dove can ginally fly?
Why are we emotionally blind?
Why don’t we care? Why don’t we mind?
Dreams are something, but facts something else,
Peace can be achieved if we just talk sense.
Dreams must be acknowledged and then addressed,
They shouldn’t be overlooked or oppressed.
But they should not come at the expense
Of one side only, hence confliccts are tense.
Oh those days of ultimate exaltation,
Dried up by tha man’s assassination.

A School Visit

2010-01-26T10:01:00.002-08:00

“Mr. Katz couldn’t come, instead,

I’ve come on behalf of his kid.

Being a counselor myself,
I’d like to help this little elf.
The school counselor, Mrs. Wise
Was taken wholly by surprise.
She ccouldn’t grasp the idea
Which she considered euphoria
That such a mysterious Arab
Had come with no intent to stab
But to talk about education,
What a really great sensation!
She thought it was rather amazing
That for a Jew’s sake I was blazing
With anger for he was naughty,
Wicked, troublesome and haughty.
Of course she is not the only one
That is prejudiced under the sun.
Since we are completely idle,
Such feelings we always kindle.
Why can’t we get rid of prejudice?

Why can’t we cool down its furnace?

It blazes as long as we gloat
And need to look for a scapegoat.
Hostility is destructive
Cooperation is constructive.
This is a simple formula,
Yet we hardly get the idea.
We destroy every hope or way
Which might lead us to peace some day.

The Bullet

2010-01-26T10:01:00.001-08:00

My cloistered life that was a blend
Of peace and poise has reached it end.
It’s not that I love solitude
More than I love the maltitude,
In fact I used to socialize,
But I started to realize
That people have become selfish,
Gready and even devilish.
Ah those days of serenity,
Times of trust and sincerity,
Days of hope and exultaion,
Feelings of joy and elation.
A trigger pressed and all was gone,
And nothing,alas, could be done.
One shot and the course of history
Was diverted, what a mystery!
One damn shot and the dream collapsed,
The joy and the uphoria lapsed.
One twisted mind managed to kill
The man and the chance for good will.
Therefore instead of listening
To nightingales’ cheerful singing
And sparrows’ beautiful warbling,
I listen to rockets whistling.
So what are you going to do ?
You can’t remain idle, can you?

Schizophrenia

2010-01-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

Born to two conflicting loyalties here
I can’t find my place hither or thither.
Oh damn schizophrenia, schizophrenia,
What measures do they take? What criteria?
If I love both sides it’s a betrayal,
I’m not to be trusted or though loyal.
Half Israeli half Palestinian,
I wish I had the skill of an amphibian.
I’m the strangest stranger in the whole world,
Always caught between the shield and the sword.
I lack the feeling of beeing complete,
I’m sick of being dull and obsolete.
I’m the right model of obscurity,
The ultimate scapegoat for security.
I’m deeply smitten by every rocket,
Every human bomb or every bullet.
I’m the target of each opponent side,
There’s no possible way for me to hide.
It’s hard for me to be true to myself,
I can’t be mute like a book on a shelf.
I’m considered to be a hypocrite
Whenever I feel sorry or regret
The loss of life or just a drop of blood
Which since we’ve been doing nothing does flood.
Every action, any retaliation
Sets off my pessimism and frustration.
Why can’t we forsake our fanaticism?

Why can’t we meet the world of pragmatism?

Routine

2010-01-26T09:59:00.000-08:00

The morning breeze can’t ease this stiffling hell,
Sometimes a bomb is dropped, sometimes a shell.
My coffee tastes deadly and smells tragic,
The news headlines don’t have any logic.
Innocent people are killed every where,
There’s nothing square about war, nothing fair.
The journey to work is a daily threat,
A jubilant party we may regret,
A knock on the door can be frightening,
While a late phone call can be sickening.
A short break from fear is hard to get,
Let alone a peaceful walk at sunset.
Satanic intentions pollute the air,
Deadly resposes occur everywhere.
Alas, no one paid the price of peace save
Rabin who took peace with him to the grave.

Reminiscence

2010-01-26T09:54:00.000-08:00

Oh green hills gone from sight,
Houses in red and white,
Ah windows crystal bright
That sparkled in sunlight.
Ah nights cool, calm and deep,
Inducing sound, sweet sleep,
Ah stars I used to reap
In dreams and used to heap.
Ah woods so much active
Luring and seductive,
Ah flowers attractive
With nectar addictive .
Ah shores with golden sand
And lagoons deep in land,
Ah fish that semed at hand
Mocking the fishing band.
Ah life that used to be
Serene, simple and carefree,
Now I can’thear or see
Any sign of jubilee.
Ah days of tolerance,
Friendship and acceptance,
Gone with their forbearance
And true co-existence.
Life’s become terrible,
Extremely horrible,
Peace, once was possible
Is no more credible.
There’s killing every day,
Yet we still have no say,
We’re led, alas, astray
By generals of prey.
As long as we’re frightened
We won’t be enlightened,
The more we’re threatened,
The more they’re strengthened.
Since we don’t resist,
They always persist
And foolishly insist
We can not co-exist.

Sorry

2010-01-26T09:53:00.000-08:00

After getting my first degree,
I believed many would agree
To offer me a job, but soon
I was treated a buffoon.
And since I was never a snob,
I thought I’d get a simple job,
Any mean, manual labor
Would be really in my favor,
For many working Jews refuse
To have those jobs, they'd rather choose
To get the unemployment pay
Which isn’t so bad any way.
But it was just an illusion,
Foreigners were in profusion.
Luckily a few months later
I was summoned to cater
At a Jewish family’s flat
Where I met this ‘good mannered’ brat.
I was working in the kitchen
When he flew in like a pigeon.
He was looking for his mother
Holding a book without a cover.
I asked if there was anything
He’d like me to do or bring,
But he muttered impolitely
A few words I heard slightly.
Suddenly I had this weird urge
To recite some stanzas out of rage,
They happened to be part of the test
He should learn before he could rest.
“ you must be a Jew,’ he then said,
But I cunningly shook my head.
“Of course you are, you can’t deny,
about such things you never lie.”
“Why do you think I am a Jew
which by the way, kid, isn’t true?”
the boy replied with frustration
that since I got education
I had to be a Jew for sure,
Jews ,he thought, were clever and pure.
“here, read my identity card,
maybe then you’ll understand.’
He looked at it reluctantly,
Read my name and instantly
Tossed it away as if it were a snake
Which made him helplessly shake.
I tried to calm him down just when
His mother was on her way in,
And when she saw him shivering,
She turned to him inquiring,
“What’s wrong with you, my little son?
Then warning me,”What have you done?”
“Your son is all right , don’t worry,
I’m not a Jew, that’s all, sorry.”
“Oh son, it’s crazy to think so,
Of course he’s not, come on, let’s go.”

Since the Dwarf came

2010-01-26T09:52:00.000-08:00

Since the dwarf came to rule this land,
I’ve cut off myself from matters
That I can’t simply understand,
Yet some logic no one offers.
I thought as many others did
That he’d fulfil the policy
Of the man treacherously killed,
But it was ,alas, a fallcy.
A man who has a chicken’s heart,
Does hide himself in the shadows,
A great venture since he can’t start,
He’ll be haunted by his sorrows.
So soon he vanished from the scene,
To oblivion his steps led him,
The like in fact I’ve never seen,
He was indeed his fear’s victim.
But being small he can’t achieve
The greatest goal we’ve ever had,
Therefore we’re doomed to wait and grieve
And wait for days hopefully glad.
And when the ogre took over,
He wiped out peace vehemently,
The shred of hope I did harbor
He smothered so violently.
Cynically like many others
I proved later to be not wise,
I thought that in certain matters
The like of him might act otherwise.
For people so,etimes tend to think
Wishfully and try to maintain
Some hope, but soon they’ll fall and sink
Into a sea of grief and pain.
But a snake is always a snake
Whether it changes skin or not,
Peacefulness it simply can’t fake
Though its eyes are completely shut.
Meanwhile I’m trying not to be
An easy prey to depression,
Though it’s hard to run or flee,
Just peace is still my obsession.

Tyrants

2010-01-26T09:51:00.000-08:00

Tyrants come and go,come and go,
But peoples from centuries ago
Are still here and they’ll remain,
Eternity is their domain.
Tyrants have something in common,
Like all extremists they keep on
Hurting their peoples every day
And go on leading them astray.
Tyrants most ironically
Claim to be romantically
Involved in their peoples’ welfare
While in fact they pursue warfare.
They do lack creativity,
Vision and sensitivity,
They’re extremely egocentric,
But sooner or later they’ll sink.
They have eyes,but they don’t see,
They have power,but they’re not free.
They’re just free to wander inside
Cages no matter how long and wide.
Tyrants, for sure, are the weakest,
Their lives, as well, are the bleakest.
That’s why their superiority
Conceals their inferiority.
History repeats itself ,however,
Do they learn any lesson? Never.
Being obstinate they can’t relate
To anything or communicate.
Because they fear to fall or die
In every corner they place a spy
So as to thwart any attempt
On their lives or any contempt.
But no matter how hard they try
They’re eventually left to die
In prison or killrd right away
For simply there’s no other way.
Still they come and go, come and go
As they did centuries ago,
But peoples as long as they resist,
Will always remain and exist.

Nostalgia

2010-01-26T09:50:00.000-08:00

Oh you who was most beloved
And my soul’s dearest mate,
You were ruthlessly shoved
From my side by man made fate.
The joys of life were just ours,
Though we were insatiable,
We used to spend most hours
With beasts and birds sociable.
We used to roam every week
Choosing a new destination:
A hill, a wood or a creek,
Each had its own sensation.
Whatever time we could spare
We vowed to spend in nature,
We ventured just everywhere,
It never ceased to nurture.
Every day at dawn breaking
We climbed a cliff to behold
The sun as it was waking
Still wearing its crown of gold.
We roamed every distant shore,
Never before was trodden,
We discovered to the core
Hidden caves though forbidden.
We wandered in pastures green
Where fleecy sheep used to graze,
No sooner the sun was seen,
The ears of corn went ablaze.
The night we dedicated
To discussing literature,
We read much and created
Our own world of culture.
We loved poetry so much
And I had some of my own,
You oft said you had a hunch
Someday I’d be well known.
We never discussed religions
Since we felt they were the cause
For tension in all regions
That led to so many wars.
Yet we couldn’t overcome
The sea of hatred around,
No matter how hard we’d swum,
We finallay sank and drowned.

Nothing Will Be

2010-01-26T09:49:00.000-08:00

Nothing will be the same next morn.
Nature , the last refuge, will become
Furious, frustrated and forlorn
For prejudice has overcome.
Ah nature, she’s not to blame
And actually I’m not either,
Here no victory we can claim,
Trapped in wars we can’t go further.
Ah nurturing nature, we’ve been
Doomed since we first loved each other,
Such hatred this land’s never sen,
The greatest love it can smother.
Ah flowers all over the fields,
You better give up your blooming,
You’ll grow unnoticed until weeds
Consume your delightful booming.
No human eyes will behold you
With love and passion as we did,
Ah you shining with every hue,
Tomorrow you’ll be lying dead.
Ah shelly shore scarcely trodden
Where shapeless rocks reach the water,
You’ll see no more lovers hidden
In a golden, sandy crater.
Ah birds coming from the cold north
To find a temporary shelter
No one will greet you with such warmth
As we do or watch you better.
Ah moon eavesdropping to our talks,
You won’t enjoy them any more
For every where prejudiced halks
Have never ceased to swoop or soar.
Ah sycamore used to hide us
From any extremist’s racism,
Or any rival’s eyes jealous
And blinded by fanaticism.
Ah nature, the game is over,
Or you might say ‘the performance’,
Oh curtains go down and cover
This age empty of romance.

My Jewish Friend

2010-01-26T09:48:00.000-08:00

A Jewish friend of mine
Was called ‘a dirty swine’
For he was rather black
With a beard long and dark.
As far as the can see,
An Arab he should be.
“ hey, I’m a jew” he said,
But he was kicked instead.
He tried to say something
Though they were not listening.
He’d like to run away,
Why on earth should he stay.
But my desperate friend
kept struggling like a fiend.
He tried hard to explain,
But it was all in vain.
That he was so indeed,
They’d knew if they did heed.
Nothing sentimental
Was in looks oriental.
In nature he was mild,
But soon got mad and wild.
I tried to interfere
But shoved away from there.
When he saw me meddling,
He stopped at once struggling,
He looked at me and laughed
And then he badly coughed.
Of course I understood
Though far away I stood,
I had to be suspected
As well as restricted,
But since my skin was fair,
They didn’t seem to care.
The soldiers looked amazed,
Their eyes with anger blazed.
What was so amusing?
It was so confusing.
To clear their amazement
My friend gave a statement,
“Now I do understand
The essence of this land,
Our God damn prejudice
Obscures our sense justice.
Oh, what a heresy,
Our false democracy.”

In the Last Days

2010-01-26T09:47:00.000-08:00

And in the last day it shall come to pass
That we shall lie peacefully on the grass,
Enjoy the sea tranquil, soft and serene
And watch happy children roll on the green.
It shall come to pass that we shall celebrate
Our anniversaries with no bombs to waste
Our festive singing or dancing at all
So as to go home with body and soul.
It shall come to pass that Arabs and Jews
Shall stop reading or listening to the news,
And instead wander freely without fear
To shed consequently even one tear.
We shall leisurely relax together
And shoot the breeze or do whatsoever.
It shall come to pass that we shall picnic
And have a meal without fear or panic.
We shall play beach ball too without stumbling
Over a suspect object and start grumbling.
It shall come to pass that the peace thinkers
Shall become for a change the peace makers.
They shall come out of their cozy saloons
And stop hiding in bubbles or balloons.
It shall come to pass that the religious
Shall stick to religion and be pious.
They shall preach peace, love and coexistence
And not hatred and bloody resistence.
It shall come to pass that no extremist
Shall have the ground to survive or exist
Unless he works in the fields and grows corn,
So as to feed the mouths yet to be born.
It shall come to pass that we shall teach love
Rather than trying to shoot the peace dove.
The Jews shan’t see the Arabs as their foes
And the Arabs shan’t rejoice at their woes.
It shall come to pass that I shall be then
A more trusted and desired citizen,
I shan’t be again intimidated,
Deprived, hated or discriminated.
It shall come to pass that the government
Shall not confiscate at any moment
Our land for we shall be equal by then
And not considered as a damn burden.
It shall come to pass that after we roam
And enjoy the scenery we shall go home
Safe and sound for we’ll be living in peace
And life will be as soft as a lamb’s fleece.
We’ll be having our favorite ice cream
Without having to die, get hurt or scream.
It shall come to pass that when we do fish,
We shall catch some real fish and not rubbish.
We shall go for a swim in pure rivers
Without having to risk our oun livers.
It shall come to pass that our woods shall stay
And they’ll never disappear or decay.
Our wild life shall be even more preserved
And the public shall not be so preserved.
It shall come to pass that the streets shall be
Filled with activity and jubilee,
They shan’t be deserted for every one
Needs not to run before the setting sun.

You Think All

2010-01-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

You think my love words are just a pretext
To a hideous intention in mind fixed.
Even in the most intimate moments
You mock my love confession and intents.
The bad experiences you underwent
Made you doubtful, no matter what I meant.
As some people say they mean what they say
And they say what they mean, still you do play
With my sincere feelings and disregard
My good intentions while you’re on guard.
What a pity! You can’t set yourself free,
That’s why,alas, you simply can’t be.
You’re chained to a stereotyped view of men,
Let alone I’m not one of your own kin.
Love should be a sublime goal by its own,
Without it we can easily disown
Each other because sex alone can’t make
A bond last forever, it’s just a fake.
You cannot possess me just by making
Love to me while my heart you keep breaking.
You can never capture my soul and mind
Uf you still hurt my dignity and pride.
Sometimes even true love can’ guarantee
Everlasting bond, so at least you have to be
Honest and look deeper into yourself
And stop behaving like an angry wolf.
There’s a lot of hostility around
And every where slippery is the ground.
Prejudice and discrimination
Characterize the situation.
So will you please think and make up your mind
Before you drive me so crazy and wild?
I’m so sick of those endless and senseless chats
Which are much noisier than those of cats.
I’m tired of your absolute vanity,
Let alone your vulnerability.
Yet all your faults and flaws I can forgive,
Once you learn how to take and then to give.

Friendship

2010-01-26T09:44:00.000-08:00

We’ve been good friends for so many years,
There have been no suspicions or fears.
Our friendship has managed to withstand
And survive the wars in the Holy Land.
It sometimes deteriorates, I admit,
Yet a vampire cannot suck it.
Sometimes it’s true we really feel heloless,
Yet his sick intrigues won’t make us hopless.
True friendship transcends animosity
And overcomes any hostility.
Together and with pure sincerity
We can make peace a sure reality.

Oh, But For

2010-01-26T09:43:00.002-08:00

Keep quiet, listen, the bulletin,’ “
A dozen times, day in , day out.
Nothing changes, year after year,
Every thing is still the same here.
Still we have assassinations
And still we have retributions.
Yet we do leave every thing behind
And listen with yearning to find
If a miracle might take place
And bring solution to this case.
But ,alas, the same confusion,
The same hope and disillusion.
Oh, but for just half an hour
Without getting my heart sour,
To go to the gym and work out,
Or hang around and roam about,
To inhale the breeze of the morning
Without knowing who’s now mourning,
To feel the sand beneath my feet
And freely walk in fields of wheat.
Oh, but for a few hours’ sleep
Without having a gun to keep
In the hand or under the head
So as to enjoy a warm bed.
Oh, for one day’s tranquility,
Away from such reality,
No matter how temporary
It’s damn sure satisfactory.
Oh, for one night’s passionate love
With a full moon and stars above,
Angles and fairies fluttering
All round glowing and glittering.
Oh, but for a moment’s respite
Without having to die or fight,
Without inflicting pain or grief,
Just a moment however brief,
Away from the frustrating news
About the Arabs and the Jews.

The siege

2010-01-26T09:43:00.001-08:00

Wherever I go the siege goes with me,
A sense of bondage that won’t set me free.
I’m tied to an emotional darkness
Trying so hard to break down the harness.
Love is the only thing I can offer,
However, they don’t respond or figure.
Power has the power to blind the sun
And sanctify the evil and the gun.
A lamb can do nothing to drive away
A pack og hungry wolves chasing a prey.
If it earnestly pleads not guilty,
Will they actually grant it liberty?
History repeats itself in agony,
Nature repeats itself in harmony.
Is sheer belonging to the human race
A blessing or is it a bloody curse?

The Throes of War

2010-01-26T09:41:00.000-08:00

A country always in the throes of war
And fear whether in door or out of door.
Though in pain, it makes no difference,
We’ve got used to indifference.
Death’s become part of every one’s menu,
I might be next to fall, or perhaps you.
Beautiful is the landscape, but the song,
Alas, is melancholic the year long,
We’re just too afraid to enjoy the streams
Dried by the voice of greed haunting our dreams.
Barren are our hearts, laden with sorrow,
No matter how much we have, life’s hollow.
We can’t truly smile unless our hearts smile,
And if they do it’s only for a short while.
A miserable life,alsa, we’re leading,
Whatever we possess is misleading.
All the treasures are just of no avail,
If we know nothing except mourn and wail.
There’s no vision or inspiration,
No enlightment or revelation.
Whatever we think is war related,
So much hatred we’ve just generated.
We simply won’t have a chance to rejoice,
If we do not listen to reason’s voice,
‘Acknowledge the others’ rights the way you
Want them to acknowledge yours, so please do.

Silence ! No

2010-01-26T09:40:00.000-08:00

"Silence is golden,"
Nonesense we’ve spoken,
We might be taken
To graves forsaken.
Hey every body,
You better study
Silence is muddy,
Much worse it’s bloody.
We need the active
And the creative,
As war’s destructive
The pain’s collective.
But only the bold
Whom nothing can hold,
Can defy the sword,
Or resist the gold.
We can’t fight this war
By being just sore,
Peace thinkers should roar
And should do much more.
While peace is absent,
We can’t be silent,
We have to resent
And stop this torment.
Someone there derives
His life from his knives,
He plays with lives
Of husbands and wives.
Silence in our case
Is in the wrong place.
We’ve lost the right trace
By this bloody race.
We’re just terrified
And so horrified
By those deified
And not,alas, defied.
If we are afraid,
They’ll stick to their trade,
They don’ feel the blade
While sitting in the shade.
Vampires come and go,
Just like a cuckoo,
All that they can do
Is to inflict woe.
Each one on his turn
So ruthless and stern
Threatens he’ll just burn
Until we all learn.
In fact we must gain
Courage and not feign,
If dull we remain
It’s them we sustain.

Citizenship

2010-01-26T09:39:00.000-08:00

The citizenship I harbor
Is, alas, a rusty armor.
Whenever I have a tremor,
I don’t get a little warmer.
The citizenship from within
Is like a feather light and thin,
While it has to be so often
The life belt when I’m smitten.
Whenever I am amid the sea
Of depression and agony,
Citizenship should always be
What a man needs to to become free.
Citizenship is the feeling
Of attachment and belonging,
It’s the most powerful craving
For security and sharing.
Citizenship has to give warmth,
It’s a natural right by birth,
It should provide each one on earth
With safety, happiness and mirth.
Yet I lack appreciation
Owing to this queer relation
Between myself and the nation
That inflicts discrimination.

Satan Says

2010-01-26T09:37:00.000-08:00

Satan says I’ll liberate you
From your pride and dignity,
And there’s nothing I should do,
I depend on your vanity.
Illusion I just create
So as to drink your fine oil,
My decoy is to liberate
You , so give up your rich soil.
I’ll drink each drop, it’s good ‘scotch’
Though I’m damn insatiable,
And since I drink so much,
You must be reliable.
I do kill out of pity,
Without me you simply can’t be,
And since you aren’t so damn witty,
You’re going to believe in me.
That’s how my slaves and dogs act,
They simply do what I say,
As long as I keep them fat,
They’ll be willing to obey.
I’ve destroyed superpowers
By my so called democracy,
So if anyone endeavors
To resist, he’ll face piracy.
I’m the only god on earth,
It’s me you have to worship.
So be smart and realize
That you’re mine body and soul,
And don’t try anything wise,
No one will regret your fall.
From now on you have to live
According to my doctrine,
The new commandments I’ll give
Must always be your routine.
My hands you just have to kiss,
Otherwise, you’ll have no bones,
One of my masses if you miss,
You’ll be executed with stones.

Dictators

2010-01-26T09:35:00.000-08:00

Dictators punish citizens for they
Are so vulnerable and have no say.
The punish children whom they slay
As if they are animals of prey.
They punish the lands for yielding some crops
Which they think aren’t worh few petroleum drops.
They punish the cows for bestowing milk
And the trees for they have some fruit to pick.
They punish the desert for being clean
And the fields that are so fertile and green.
They punish the air for being pure and cool
And the cattle for they grow fleece and wool.
They punish the rivers for they still flow,
The sun, the moon, the stars for they still glow.
They punish the pupils for going to schools
And the craftsmen who still carry their tools.
They punish the infants for being born
And the farmers that get up every morn.
They punish the birds for freely flying
And the reptiles that never stop lying.
They punish a country’s population
For what they call severe violation
Of a peculiar emergency law
They inflicted so many years ago.
But sooner or later they disappear
No matter how much they cause awe and fear.
The innocent may still pay with their lives,
But someday the dictators’ swords and knives
Will turn against them for peoples revive
And have the ability to survive.

That’s It

2010-01-26T09:33:00.000-08:00

That’s it .I’ve got nothing to hide,
Every thing possible I’ve tried,
All perils I’ve agreed to ride,
So how dare you then hurt my pide?
That’s it. I won’t take one more stride,
I’ve gone astray far and wide
And in deserts I almost died,
So how dare you then hurt my pride?
Our love was unusually wild,
We laughed so much and also cried,
We knewnhappy days and damn hard,
So how dare you then hurt my pride?
We used to argue but could find
A way to restore peace of mind,
You were tender and fairly mild,
So how dare you then hurt my pride?
We knew the love that us did bind
Was extremely and totally blind,
We went through hazards side by side,
So how dare you them hurt my pride?
Each other we’ve never tried to grind,
Blame,condemn,defy,accuse or chide,
We were the greatest of our kind,
So how dare you then hurt my pride?
We spoke frankly, we never lied
Though our views did sometimes collide,
Despite terror we stayed refined,
So how dare you then hurt my pride?
We never cheated or begiled
And cheaters we couldn’t abide,
We were gentle, never defied,
So how dare you then hurt my pride?
I knew we could easily slide
Into the hatred-swamp around,
But we ignored it and denied,
So how dare you then hurt my pride?
It seened that I have much relied
Upon you love which has belied
The true character of this land
That made you, alas, hurt my pride.

Live and Let Live

2010-01-26T09:32:00.001-08:00

All my adult years I’ve been thinking
I shall rise someday and stop sinking.
My songs are dark and sad, that is true,
But I’m hopeful and optimistic too.
Alas, I’m still flying in my cage
While wars are still haunting the stage.
When shall we learn that wars are futile
And all we get is demise meanwhile.
Why on earth can’t we see things clearly?

Why mus we always pay so dearly?
Why can’t we get rid of our own fear
Which every chance for peace it does tear?
Let people live, they just want to be,
You can’t be free unless they are free,
You can’t live in peace unless they live,
You can’t take unless you learn to give.

The Sacrifice

2010-01-26T09:28:00.000-08:00

I was as tiny as the lamb
I used to graze near the dam.
My elder sister came along
To make sure nothing went wrong.
She was tall, slim and beautiful
And I always found her helpful.
She always took good care of me
Explaining all that we did see.
Ah sister, I miss you very much,
To your memory I’ll always clutch.
As usual there was a new war,
In fact every eight years or more,
There’s another war going on
Which actually can never be won.
But foolish people don’t believe,
That’s why they never cease to grieve.
The lamb was meant for sacrifice
Which, we hoped, would cleanse every vice,
But because it was very small,
A little bigger than a ball,
We had to take it every day
To graze in fields where we would stay
Until the red eye of the sky
Behind the golden clouds did fly.
A few weeks later it grew bigger,
His milky fleece became thicker,
So we had trouble handling him
Especially when it was so dim.
One day while the sun was blazing
And the lamb was quietly grazing,
There was an explosion nearby
That sent us flying up the sky.
Unfortunately I came down,
The only one that had to drown
Into the land of ceaseless grief
Where we still lack a day’s relief.
Yes, I was doomed to go through pain,
And see people slay or get slain.
I do deserve a momen’s peace,
Away from wars ruthless and fierce.

Who Is to Blame

2010-01-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

You may lose the woman you love,
Or the wealth you probably have,
You may lose a one thousand things
By mishaps that misfortune brings.
All losses can be overcome
Except the loss of your freedom
Which can be lost, I’d rather say,
Once your own country you betray,
Something of course you mustn’t do,
Or once your country betrays you.
And here is my accusation:
I’m betrayed by state and nation.
To belong or not to belong
Is the issue all my life long.
Here I don’t have the position
Of a normal, free citizen.
No matter how good and honest,
I’m seen as a fifth columnest.
Nobody trusts my loyalty
While I live in such reality.
I need to feel my citizenship,
To have a normal relationship,
To rejoice in times of relief
And sympathize in times of grief.
I want to be part of thr state,
Not sen in contrast with its fate.
Am I to blame if the state’s flag
Is no more than a piece of rag?
Am I to blame if its anthem
Says nothing to me but to them?
What kind of citizenship is this?
Almost all its features I miss.
Oh country, grant me asylum
Even in a misrable slum,
Maybe then as a refugee
They’ll positively think of me.

Loving God

2010-01-26T09:23:00.000-08:00

It doesn’t need an oracle
To get a good, sincere advice,
Peace that is every miracle
Is your prize whatever the price.
You may have a thousand reasons
For not having to compromise,
Hoever, a thousand seasons
Shall pass before you actually rise.
Yoy may find many excuses,
But never ever mention God,
He’s just one of your abuses,
He’s not the God I have always had.
My God does manifest Himself
On plain things not on a war ship,
He doesn’t dwell on a cold shelf
Hidden in a place of worship.
He shows Himself on the surface
Of a quietly flowing river,
Not on a harsh, revengeful face
That makes people at once shiver.
I don’t see Him on the façade
Of a grotesque, colossal shrine
With a huge marble colonnade
And layers of metal that shine.
I can see Him in a pure smile
Of an innocent little child,
I can see Him in ants agile,
Or a morning breeze cool and mild.
He’ there on the wings of a bird,
In its colors and sweet singing,
I don’t see Him on a long beard
With a fanatic heart ringing.
I don’t see Him in spices burnt,
Or endless days uselessly spent,
But in working hands cut an hurt
And in stiff backs painfully bent.
I see Him in each grain of sand
And in every drop of water,
Not in a heartless command
To massacre or slaughter.
God has mothing to do at all
With lust, greed, pride and prejudice,
Love His creation as a whole
And seek everlasting justice.
That’s how you can be close to God,
That’s hoy you can show Him piety,
Don’t use His name for your own good,
Don’t treat Him as a deity.

Life Story

2010-01-26T09:22:00.000-08:00

Born free to roam from range to range,
From field to field, from brook to brook,
Never to be jailed in a cage,
Never to be caught in a hook.
The happy years of my childhood
I spent with friends modtly wild,
I couldn’t stand the neighborhood
Being stiffling, stony and hard.
While every one was still asleep,
I used to sneak into the wood,
I wandered freely far and deep
And watched the wild looking for food.
The morning breeze was fine and mild,
The flying bands kept on singing,
You had to be completely blind
Not to see their skillful swinging.
During the years of adolescence
I sustained my sincerity,
My daily visits and presence
Surely proved my fidelity.
Yet every thing got a new meaning,
It looked and sounded much profound,
In fact, I’ve never stopped yearning
To follow things simple but sound.
The woods I used to wander through
Became the dwelling of strangers,
The orchards, alas, gave way too
To mostrosities: cranes and bulldozers.
The walks and talks about the girls,
Became no more entertaining,
We started talking about jails
And getting orders restraining.
Now I’m beyond middle age,
Life has become unbearable,
Successive wars we always wage
And the wounds are incurable.
Hatred is penetrating deep,
It cosumes our humanity,
Whatever we sow,we shall reap:
Bloodshed, terror, what a pity.
We’ve got to have a new vision
And take a cmpletely different path,
Because if we make no revision,
We ’ll end up soon in a blood path.
It’ damn deadly just to believe
In one’ own righteousness,
Alas, we’ll continue to grieve
For we’ve lost our consciousness.

I Want to Be

2010-01-26T09:21:00.000-08:00

I want to be a breeze
Blowing from the seas,
A hive for busy bees
Placed among the trees.
I want to be as plain
As a drop of rain,
Or as a golden grain
Rolling down a plain.
I want to be a stream
Flowing like a dream,
I want to be a beam
Glowing by its steam.
I want to be a ay
Leading to that day
When peace is in array
With colors bright and gay.
I want to be as calm
And happy as a lamb,
I want to be a balm
That can soothe any harm.
I want to be an idea,
Or a good formula
To preserve the fuana
And maintain the flora.
I want to be in motion
Like a timeless ocean,
A part of creation,
Or imagination.
I want to be a sage
Not standing on a stage
To preach a true message
Of peace, hope and courage.
I want to be a dove
Flying so high above,
Holding a branch of love
And peace we need to have.
I just want to be
What most means to me.

The Kiss We Had

2010-01-26T09:20:00.000-08:00

The kiss we had made me unaware of
The wind freezing, howling and threatening,
The warmth we felt proved that a kiss of love
Could withstand all the blizzards frightening.
True love can overcome all obstacles,
And defy racial and social pressures,
It doesn’t need, for sure an oracle
To prove it’s the most precious of treasures.
How else then the frost could I have endured
And felt overwhelmingly warm and fine?
How else could I have been totally secured
Had it been not for a kiss soaked with wine?
But can we survive the blizzards of war
And withstand the huge waves of prejudice?
Alas, we desperately need much more
Than a random rendezvous or a kiss.

Kill, Kill

2010-01-26T09:17:00.000-08:00

You cannot mean well,
If you ring the knell
Every day and night
And believe you’re right.
If you just destroy,
Peace is a decoy,
Never say you will
Get peace if yoy kill.
If that’s true, go ahead,
Kill each infant in bed,
Spill its bottle of milk,
Cut off its hair of silk,
Smother its pure smile,
End up the short while
It hass lived so far
In tin roofed with tar.
Kill every olive tree
And every toiling bee,
They don’t deserve to live
For someday they might give
Life to a little child
That might get mad and wild
So as to chalenge you
And get his life anew.
Ravish the fields of corn,
The flowers newly born,
Break the hens’ fragile legs,
Destroy their nests and eggs.
Kill the birds in the yard,
The horses working hard.
Kill every adolescent
Inside his shaking tent
Which has been on the move
As you wanted to prove.
Kill his young ambition,
Isn’t that your mission?
Kill him it’s not a ‘crime’,
‘He’s not worth a dime.’
Go ahead! Stab each womb,
Dig a collective tomb,
Sharpen your swords and knives
And take their ‘worthless’ lives.
I’m so sorry for you’
They spoil all that you do,
They’re not afraid to die
And they’re not used to cry.
Since they alawys revive,
They’re easily survive.
Go ahead! Take down schools,
Break the pencils and tools.
Kill every body,
No one needs to study.
Pull down the orphan’s roof
Deprrirve him of his loaf.
Destroy the fertile field,
Don’t let ever yield
Any crop for those mouths
Hunger stricken for months.
Kill their memory
And their painful history,
Otherwise they’l haunt you
And they will surely do.
Beware of those who fall
For they’ll demand your soul.
Beware of those who die
And you can’t justify.
Killers are naturally
Much weaker morally,
They hide behind their arms,
Yet their legs shake and arms.
Take every possible life
With your axe and knife,
Kill them, spare no parent
Or any grandparent.
But will you be content?
Will you take the hint?
Let’s hope that very soon
You’ll see you’re a balloon
Void of any substance
That can beat resistance.
It’s so useless indeed,
But you simply need
A moment’s true vision
To reach the decision
That ensures life for all
And stop this senseless fall.

You Always Ask

2010-01-26T09:16:00.000-08:00

You always ask if I really love you,
To tell the truth sometimes I feel I do,
And sometimes I feel we’re complete strangers,
Roaming like two unfamiliar rangers.
We beelong to two different mentalities,
Even worse two conflicting loyalties.
We always magnify our differences
And like to hide behind our defenses.
For a second we are love incarnate,
The next, alas, we can’t communicate.
Our world is like a bubble, a balloon,
Or a web that collapses very soon.
Sometimes we seem to be like two quiet straems
Flowing side by side like happy, sweet dreams,
Later on we behae ferociously
And hurt each other though unconsciously.
Whatever anger we all migh harbour
Due to every attack or every murder,
Instead of sympathizing we rather
Choose to accuse and blame each other.
We all are victims, so try to understand
We must walk side by side, hand in hand.
We all must fight against those who wage wars
And thus bring terror to thresholds of doors.

Though

2010-01-26T09:15:00.000-08:00

Though peace is daily and savagely slain
And innocence brutally raped then killed,
Though misery, suffering, grief and pain
Pour down until all hearts are overfilled,
Though the ground is dyed red with infants’ blood
And human bombs waste the merry singing,
Though bereaved eyes still shed a second flood
And pangs of helplessness keep on stinging,
Though mad, fierce war winds never cease to howl,
And kindle hatred beneath hell’s altar,
Though every chance for lasting peace we foul,
And nothing we seem to do or alter,
I believe peace is still achievable,
For it’s certainly inevitable.

Going to the Beach

2010-01-26T09:14:00.000-08:00

I cancelled all my business care
And left as early as I could,
The morning breezee was fine and fair,
And I felt great, In fact I should.
Two summers had already passed
Without having gone for a swim,
But, I hoped, it was time at last,
So I fled while it was still dim.
I told myself I wouldn’t let
Anything frustrate my intent.
Even mother who used to fret
Couldn’t have my intention bent.
A sea lover I was known to be,
I never missed a swimming day,
But for the last two summers we
Have been obliged indoors to stay.
The whole state is terror stricken,
That’s why the future looks obscure
And every one is fear smitten.
Yet I was on my way to the beach,
No matter what might happen to me,
But soon I had to change my speech
For being deterred by the M.P.
I tried every thing in my power
So as to move on with my mission,
But I had to waste an hour
Before I cleared their suspicion.
Once again I was on my way,
Hoping to find no obstacles,
But no matter how hard I did pray,
I couldn’t get rid of all shackles.
A barrier put up by the police
Got me stuck in a terrible jam,
I wish we had a day of peace
But who on earth gives a damn.
Two more hours passed just in vain,
And they had no other way in fact,
Being hit again and again,
They really should remain in tact.
I do respect their vigilance
Because we’re too on the same boat ,
Terror doesn’t tell the difference
Between the victims it has caught.
At last I reached the ‘ promised beach’,
But I was asked to leave at once,
Though I tried so hard to beseech,
They couldn’t give me any chance.
Actually they were not to blame
As they’d found a suspect object,
Of course I would have done the same,
So I went back with due respect.

Just a Kid

2010-01-26T09:10:00.000-08:00

I saw him lying dead,
He was shot in the head,
“What did he do?” I said,
“ He went to buy some bread.”
He was thin, pale and cold
And he was ten years old,
He had to be so bold
To do as he was told.
Nine mouths lived in one room
Too crowded for a broom,
Since they all lived in gloom
They never thought of doom.
He dreamt of going out,
For he was locked and shut
Inside a stiffling hut
Which was so dim and hot.
The siege sometimes could be
For two months, perhaps three,
So to buy bread and tea
Once in a while they’re free.
They live on both mostly
Though they are damn costly.
If they’re treated justly,
Who gives a damn firstly?
Destruction everywhere,
There’s nothing clean to wear
And no water to bear,
Yet no one seems to care.
You always hear a knell,
Or the tolls of a bell,
Who’s killed no one can tell
For here’s a living hell.
It can be anyone
No matter what he’s done.
He might be killed for fun
By some one with a gun.
If fear isn’t suppressed,
A trigger may be pressed.
Crimes nobody witnessed
Are in no way confessed.
A jail inside a jail
And they accept no bail.
The pure are those who fail,
So peace is weak and frail.
If bars do block the heart,
One cannot have a start.
Why can’t we make a dart?
What holds us back in fact?
The kid was lying down
And he was about to drown,
His hair curly and brown
Put on a reddish crown.
His yearning was so great,
He wished to pass the gate,
The bread was just the bait,
Or was he the bait by fate?
For months he had no schol,
And that wasn’t so cool,
At home the only tool
He played with was a stool.
He placed it by the wall
And peeped out through a hole.
A monster past night fall
Used to appall them all.
A dreadful, deadly beast
Which lives on human feast,
Its roar, to say the least,
Is heard throughout the east.
It destroys far and wide,
In killing it takes pride,
It crawls from side to side,
And there’s nowhere to hide.

Yet the kid didn’t care,
He didn’t fear to stare,
Sometimes he’d even dare
Crawl to the open air.
He was free, fast and fine
Whom no one could confine,
Being the last of nine
His wish they’d not decline.
So when bread was needed,
To leave they all dreaded,
The kid who hard pleaded
Wasn’t at all heeded.
At last he was granted
The chance he long wanted,
His mother who started
To weepalmosst fainted.
To leave he was bidden,
Though it was forbidden,
He thought he was hidden,
But soon he was smitten.
A rifle’s eye roving
Around the clock moving
Spotted him while leaving
And playfully waving.
The orders were so clear
To soldiers far nad near,
“Their lives or yours, dear,
So shoot without fear.”
How did the killer feel?
Was it easy to heal?
Was it a healthy deal
Or was it an ordeal.

False Democracy

2010-01-26T09:08:00.000-08:00

Your democracy is to be
Free from the true democracy.
You declare you’re ‘democratic’,
While you’re oppressive and despotic.
You say you fulfill the people’s woll,
So you destroy, banish and kill.
It’s a Goddamn conspiracy
Against your declared fallacy,
If somebody fights for the true
Democracy you don’t persue.
Sole like to believe and declare,
“Nobody needs to fear or care
Since democracy is alive,
Strong enough to survive.”
Let me tell them this policy
Is too weak to fight piracy.
Democracy derives its strength
From the people’s moral health.
It’s vulnerable to exremes,
To racial and national streams.
It’s so easy to undermine
Its foundations if we decline
To protect true democracy
And guard it against heresy.
Extremists of any kind and shape
Can ravish democracy and rape.
Bad intentions motivate them,
But each in fact a victim
To his doctrine and racial creed
Which to destruction often lead.
Fascism is a two edged sword,
A boomerang is its main chord,
But unless we fight together
And weed its roots altogether,
All the citizens of this state
Will soon be facing the same fate.

The Chat

2010-01-26T09:06:00.000-08:00

The chat we had last night
Under the dim street light
Was tragically comic
Or comically tragic,
For we tried to conceal
How we really did feel.
We knew we were in love
And in fact we should have
Confessed, but we were scared
Though passion fiercely flared.
Our fervent, scarlet lips,
Our shaking, restless hips,
Our warmly pleading eyes,
Our fairly boiling thighs,
Our hearts’ palpitation,
All showed infatuation.
But we couldn’t discuss
The feelings binding us,
So we tried to pretend
That we didn’t intend
Right from the beginning
To have any longing,
Or any desire
Burning like a fire
So hard to relinquish
Inside our bones and flesh.
In fact we were afraid
For having so much heard
About love that did fail
Because it was too frail
To survive a few hours,
So indeed why should ours?
We feard to ex[erience
The potential existence
Of whatever affair
We could possibly share.
We were so reluctant
To probe the abundant
Feelings that we both knew
We shared but couldn’t view,
Or we were not sure about
Being shrouded in doubt.
How could we be so sure
That this love could endure
Amid the seas of blood
That never ceased to flood?
An explosion heard somewhere
Proved how helpless we were,
How weak the link would be
Between you, dear, and me.

Unbelievable

2010-01-26T09:05:00.000-08:00

How unbelievable my life can be,
I’m a citizen of a third degree.
And don’t say ‘so what’, I’m indigenous,
Yet I’m still believed to be dangerous.
This is my country, I’m not a slave
Brought from overseas his masters to serve.
I should feel free whenever I go around,
I’m not to be hindered at all or bound.
What have I done to deserve rejection?
Why am I deprived of any protection?
Why should I always be victimized
When I have rights to be realized?
Why should I pay for others’ offenses
And be sacrificed of others’ defenses?
Compromising is the key solution,
Occupation is your life pollution.
You can’t occupy and get peace as well,
Occupation makes your life a living hell.
Occupation does lead to oppression
Which in turn leads to death and regression.
You can’t have both peace and security
By occupation and hostility.
“Arab” My identification card does say
So as to recognize me right away.
Why does a so-called liberal entity
Need to hurt its citizen’s dignity.
Is it a crime to be Palestinian
Or African or Red Indian?
By more killings there’s no security,
By more destruction there’s no immunity.
How many years must pass before you get
You’re victims as well , Why should you forget?
Hatred leads to hatred, try to get it
Before it’s too late to repent or regret.
We want to live in peace and harmony,
Not in conflict, tension and agony.
I don’t think you’re satisfied with yourselves
Chasing little children like hungry wolves.
You don’t like it, sure, but you have no say
Because you’re short sighted and led astray.

The Last Light

2010-01-26T09:04:00.000-08:00

Peace, the last light, is out of sight,
We have eyes that see no light.
We’re running down a deadly race,
The worst ever run by the human race.
There’s no use of this endless fight,
If we eventually might
Come to the same conclusion
Contrary to some illusion.
Occupation is no guarantee
To anybody’s security.
As rain brings us fertility,
Just peace brings us tranquility.
Killing and vengeance
Lead to more killing and vengeance.
Stop setting off wars and hatred
In the name of places sacred.
We just have no understanding
That we are really standing
On the verge of an open hell
Unless we stop this sensless kill.
It seems much easier to press
Upon the trigger and oppress
Every chance for peace or effort
Than to good reasoning resort.
Try to weigh your priorities:
Keeping peace or territories.
You simply can’t have it both ways,
So, please don’t waste any more days.

Confinement

2010-01-26T09:02:00.000-08:00

As a bastard I’m here treated,
Before I start, I’m defeated.
Try to imagine how it feels
To ride a carriage without wheels,
To spend your life going nowhere,
To be deprived of a chance fair
To break through the walls of mistrust
And survive without going bust.
I cannot be freein my state
Without controlling my own fate.
Prisons are of two kinds, one kind
Which is much worse, confines the mind,
The other confines the body
And when both are in custody,
A man is more dead than alive
And it’s better not to survive.
You might be ruling a kingdom,
However, without your freedom
You’re just another toy or slave
Who won’t be free unless he’s brave.
You’re quite brave only when you take
A stand that might put you at stake,
So if you’re ready to take the risk,
You must be wise enough to think
That only those who dare to range
The realm of dangers can bring change.
And to tell the truth I’m so weak,
As an altruist I’m a freak.
Sometimes I lose interest in speech,
Especially when it fails to reach
The hearts of those in authority
Killing us with their stupidity.
They have agendas of their own
Which don’t include peace, jobs and corn.
We, the peace believers, just waive
Instead of fighting this damn wave.

The Hitchhiker

2010-01-26T09:01:00.000-08:00

What a terrible night, so cold and misty,
At midnight it became even frosty.
Within a few meters of the van light
Nothing was invisible, left or right.
So cold and scared I shrank into my seat,
Unable to move my stiff hands and feet.
A paralyzing fear crawled up my spine
When I almost knocked down a traffic sign.
No sooner I pulled myself together
When I thought I saw a shaking figure.
The idea of leaving it behind
In such a cold night didn’t cross my mind.
Therefore I stopped right away and drove back,
Though it was too hard to see the dark track.
All of a sudden I heard some knocking
When the howling wind sent the car rocking.
I braked immediately, opened the door
And saw a trembling man soaked to the core.
It was hard to see the man’s face indeed
Behind the frosty mist of the night’s shield.
Therefore I let him in without delay
Because his base was so far away.
Before he got in, he threw a bundle
On the back seat and then pushed a rifle.
Unexpectedly he was a soldier,
And consequently I was in danger.
How would he communicate or react,
If he discovered who I was in fact?
He might be grateful, obliged and thankful,
Or he might be suspicious and doubtful.
In fact, I feared I would later regret
If he my gesture he did misinterpret.
It might turn out that I was so naïve,
Or damn stupid to think, or just believe
That amid this deep animosity,
A gesture of sheer generosity
Would be considered totally friendly
And not so risky or rather deadly.
The soldier I noticed was restless,
Besides, he looked bewildered and helpless.
The seat actually was terribly wet,
But I asked him to calm down and not fret.
Gradually he felt much easier,
Since in the van it was much cozier.
A few minutes later he turned to me
And asked if I could drop him near base B.
I told him, of course, it would be all right
Since I would be driving close to the site.
We talked a lot about various topics
Such as politics and economics,
Yet it was hard for him to understand
Why I had a very critical stand
Against all Israel’s atrocities
Which had led to so many casualties.
They talk and talk but the don’t give a damn;
They want to win time as much as they can.
Suddenly when snowflakes began to fall,
I had a very unfortunate call.
He asked me what language I was speaking,
“Arabic” I told him without thinking
That such a revelation would ruin
The few minutes’ peace he had indulged in.
He looked frightened, suspicious and confused,
Though he was a while ago so amused.
I didn’t know what to think or expect,
All I could do was to wait and reflect.
When he finally got back to his senses,
He resorted to his own defenses.
He snatched his rifle and held it so tight
As if he was going to start a fight.
“Stop right here,’ he threateningly ordered;
I had to obey before getting murdered
Still holding his rifle he grabbed his sack
And get off without turning his back.
Well beyond midnight I was arrested
No matter how strongly I resisted.
That night the soldier hadn’t reached his base,
Therefore I had a few charges to face.

Little Sparrow

2010-01-26T08:54:00.000-08:00

Little sparrow, little sparrow,
Why have you come little fellow?
Have you got a story to tell?
Is your life too a living hell?
Are you caught in such a conflict
That never ceases to inflict?
Oh, how haggard you are, how frail,
Just like me in my mental jail?

Little sparrow, little sparrow,
Perching on my shabby pillow,
An hour’s peace I wish I had
Before I go completely mad.
Is it too much to ask for some one
Whose life’s never known any fun.
Oh, my God! I’m losing my mind,
Yet no one seems to care or mind.

Little sparrrow, little sparrow,
I wish I could your wings borrow
So as to flee and thus be free
In a place where peace ought to be.
I’m a prisoner of my name,
It’s me, they think, they have to blame.
I’m torn between hostile cultures,
And tied to fanatic structures.

Little sparrow, little sparrow,
Here you gain nothing but sorrow,
And that’s not what you feed upon,
So be wise enough to be gone.
Beware of man or you will bleed,
He kills for fun, take always heed.
Go, fly away, my heart is cold,
And my mind and spirit ten fold.

Little sparrow, little sparrow,
There’s nothing wise, nothing thorough,
We’ve lost the way and the creed,
So if you find a single seed
Which truth has carried in its womb,
Or burried in an ancient tomb,
It’s a message to the whole world,
We can’t live merely on the sword.

Little sparrow, little sparrow,
Life is surprisingly shallow.
We have committed every sin
Since Cain murdered his only kin.
Oh, dear friend, what’s reality?
It’s hatred and hostility.
Why can’t we stop this deadly fight
And start our march toward the light?

Little sparrow, little sparrow,
My dungeon’s dark, deep and narrow,
Yet if I do manage to flee,
It won’t give up its grip on me.
I can’t be safe, I can’t be free,
I can’t be whole or simply be.
Wherever I go, they suspect,
Whatever I do, they neglect.

Little sparrow, little sparrow,
Life looks solid, but it’s hollow.
You can be great, you can be star,
Yet vanity can’t take you far.
Life’s a mirage, a passing dream,
It will soon dry up like a stream.
If we make peace, we can survive,
If we reconcile, we’ll stay alive.

Little sparrow, little sparrow,
I think you instinctively know
“It’s the survival of the fittest”
Not the purist or the finest,
Yet I’ve got faith and trust
In the depth of the human crust,
Sure there’s light outside a tunnel
And space too outside a funnel.

Little sparrow, little sparrow,
Will you please come tomorrow?
Having eased my pain and sorrow,
Life won’t be after all shallow.
Hopefully soon I’ll fly and soar,
And stop feeling terribly sore.
Little sparrow, I’m scared no more
Because there’s still some hope in store.

I’m Loneliness

2010-01-26T08:53:00.000-08:00

I’m loneliness and I wonder
If it’s as lonely as I feel.
Here in paradise I wander,
Yet I’m lonelier than an eel.
Melancholy is my own balm,
That makes me feel magically great,
And its unduly splendid charm
Does make me ponder and create.

If (1)

2010-01-26T07:50:00.000-08:00

If you get Satan’s head on a platter,
Still you won’t move ahead for the matter
Has nothing to do with his life or death,
It has to do with your minds and hearts’ depth.
Years after his death you will still repeat
The same dull cliché over and over;
So try to understand you won’t defeat
Their spirit whatever you endeavor.
Talk to them instead and give them some hope;
Let them believe in you and your good will,
You talk about peace better that the Pope,
Yet you continue to destroy and kill.

If (2)

If my own crucifixion were
The price for peace, alas, long lost,
I would right away and right here
Set up high the salvation post.

If (3)

If I were a god just for a moment,
I would have the time to bring happiness
To a world stricken by pain and torment
Not to mention greed, hate and ugliness.

If (4)

If I were to choose, I would rather die
Before I have to kill or even lie.
And if we all have the same preference,
O God, we shall make a great difference.

The Hitchhiker

2009-12-29T12:52:00.000-08:00

What a terrible night, so cold and misty,
At midnight it became even frosty.
Within a few meters of the van light
Nothing was invisible, left or right.
So cold and scared I shrank into my seat,
Unable to move my stiff hands and feet.
A paralyzing fear crawled up my spine
When I almost knocked down a traffic sign.
No sooner I pulled myself together
When I thought I saw a shaking figure.
The idea of leaving it behind
In such a cold night didn’t cross my mind.
Therefore I stopped right away and drove back,
Though it was too hard to see the dark track.
All of a sudden I heard some knocking
When the howling wind sent the car rocking.
I braked immediately, opened the door
And saw a trembling man soaked to the core.
It was hard to see the man’s face indeed
Behind the frosty mist of the night’s shield.
Therefore I let him in without delay
Because his base was so far away.
Before he got in, he threw a bundle
On the back seat and then pushed a rifle.
Unexpectedly he was a soldier,
And consequently I was in danger.
How would he communicate or react,
If he discovered who I was in fact?
He might be grateful, obliged and thankful,
Or he might be suspicious and doubtful.
In fact, I feared I would later regret
If he my gesture he did misinterpret.
It might turn out that I was so naïve,
Or damn stupid to think, or just believe
That amid this deep animosity,
A gesture of sheer generosity
Would be considered totally friendly
And not so risky or rather deadly.
The soldier I noticed was restless,
Besides, he looked bewildered and helpless.
The seat actually was terribly wet,
But I asked him to calm down and not fret.
Gradually he felt much easier,
Since in the van it was much cozier.
A few minutes later he turned to me
And asked if I could drop him near base B.
I told him, of course, it would be all right
Since I would be driving close to the site.
We talked a lot about various topics
Such as politics and economics,
Yet it was hard for him to understand
Why I had a very critical stand
Against all Israel’s atrocities
Which had led to so many casualties.
They talk and talk but they don’t give a damn;
They want to win time as much as they can.
Suddenly when snowflakes began to fall,
I had a very unfortunate call.
He asked me what language I was speaking,
“Arabic” I told him without thinking
That such a revelation would ruin
The few minutes’ peace he had indulged in.
He looked frightened, suspicious and confused,
Though he was a while ago so amused.
I didn’t know what to think or expect,
All I could do was to wait and reflect.
When he finally got back to his senses,
He resorted to his own defenses.
He snatched his rifle and held it so tight
As if he was going to start a fight.
“Stop right here,’ he threateningly ordered;
I had to obey before getting murdered
Still holding his rifle he grabbed his sack
And get off without turning his back.
Well beyond midnight I was arrested
No matter how strongly I resisted.
That night the soldier hadn’t reached his base,
Therefore I had a few charges to face.

Little Sparrow

2009-12-28T09:06:00.000-08:00

I’m Loneliness

2009-12-28T09:05:00.000-08:00