Apr 9, 2011

From Deir Yassin to Gaza

I am back in Palestine after a long 40 day book tour in which I visited 3 countries, 16 US states, gave talks 67 times and interviewed on TV and Radio extensively. Over 3000 wonderful contacts were made. I thank all who helped make this possible and all who attended my talks. My apologies for my poor name-face association with older age.  Yet, the sweet home coming occurred on 9 April, 2011 the anniversary of the massacre at Deir Yassin and, just in the past three days, 18 Palestinians were murdered in Gaza by the same occupation army; including a man and his grand-daughter. I penned a poem along the way:

April 9, 1948 to April 9, 2011: Deir Yassin to Gaza
(by Mazin Qumsiyeh, Written on the way back home, dedicated to Juliano*)

My kind old mother laments
Decades of memory that transcends
Fake Gods and fake peace offers
who bless nichsayon** and slaughter
our eyes fail to see or just lament
blood of a child licked off a pavement
By stray thirsty cats
with more morals than army brats
Our ears fail to hear
voice of Dr. Izzeldinne echoes
“I shall not hate” anguished cries
After three beautiful daughters
With a tank shell and a niece in slaughters
Our noses feail to smell
The whiff of death mixed with gun powder
Or the vomit of our tortured
Our hearts fail to feel
the punctured womb by the old home
the severed girl’s head by the mosque dome
Mutilated,
dismembered,
disconnected
Our fingers fail to touch
an anguished young mother
Looking for a child
Jews, Christian, Muslims wail
The lost humanity to no avail
the generals must have their joy
to test their newest toy
in Gaza white phosphorous back in use yesterday
impunity from war crimes thanks to the US of A
billionairs must make more dollars
zealots must sacrifice children at altars
Gabriel can stay a knife but not drones
And hate can murder a thousand Julianos
While the apathetic multitude watch TV
Obliviously focused on their shopping spree
Bypassing love and responsibility
Chasing gadgets, hate, and vanity
Next news bulletin.... get the experience
Next anniversary..awaken the conscience??

*The Jenin Freedom Theater and Juliano in his own words (excellent video by Jen Marlowe) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQGqmLyunm0

**Nichsayon: Hebrew for Ethnic cleansing

Avnery on two new racist laws in Israel

Associated Press biased reporting on Gaza

‘The Goldstone Report’ now belongs to the world by ADAM HOROWITZ, LIZZY RATNER, AND PHIL WEISS
And another opinion
The Goldstone Chronicles  By ROGER COHEN 
To “Goldstone”: (Colloq.) To sow confusion, hide a secret, create havoc. 

2 comments:

  1. Touching poem, indeed. Impressive blog

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  2. Great post, and thanks for all your work, Sharing the Land of Canaan is one of the websites which encourage me to start spreading the word on the web!
    Please let me know if I can help by reposting any of your talks on Palestine Diary's Channel on youtube.
    http://www.youtube.com/abumiz

    I already posted the event of Palestine Solidarity Conference, Stuttgart 26. November 2010 - from publicsolidarity's channel.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVpG69JWADs

    Toward One Democratic Secular State.

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