Ascend

Nahida Izzat,
Exiled Palestinian
Poetry For Palestine

To be human is to be hugely affected by what is happening in the world
Sadness, depression and grief may linger in your heart
Colours fade into one tone of grey
You may even gasp at the edge of despair, sometimes
For one breath of hope, you’d give your life

Often, you may question your sanity
You may wake up screaming at night
Your pillow is soaked in tears streaming
You may wonder if it is all but a bad dream,
A nightmare rather
Or is it a 3D horror movie in which you’re sucked into somehow
An observer, helplessly watching

Your mind rages in furious anger!
Did I read that correctly?
Did I truly hear the little girl saying such words?
Is that world for real?
Are those perpetrators even human?
Did I land in the wrong universe?

Volcanoes erupt in your chest
Battles blaze in your head
and you,
YOU… are crushed in between

Watching in curious apprehension
You try to regain your bearings
To be a voice of reason
Amidst this madness

You hold your fearful heart, tight
You take your mind by the hand
Hush hush its flying thoughts
Tap its shoulder gently and whisper
Dear mind, do you mind to step aside for a moment
With all due respect, your knowledge is but a speck
Infinitesimal
Oh raging mind calm down
You view the world through a keyhole
You try to squeeze infinity in a soup bowl
Then cry like a baby, the bowl is too small

Oh foolish mind step down
You are not the author, you are not the hero
Not even an actor, or a comma in the script
Stop behaving as if you’re a superstar

You want to know the story?
O the story!
Once upon a no-space and non-time
Written on a no-place on plane ∅
A glorious tale with two letters of Light
BE… and it was
An exquisitely-smart explosion
Shattered nothingness into being… Boom…Boom
Time is born
Finely-tuned matter…poof… poof… appeared
A masterpiece

Layer upon layer, the cosmos unfolds
Time and space intertwine, majestic embrace
Pages scripted, laws encrypted
Supernovas sprinkled, stars twinkled
Galaxies and atoms hold hands, in a prayerful dance
Their pounding hearts flutter
Dazzled in adoration
Breathtaking beauty
Impatiently awaits to be discovered
Thus the story began
Imagine the ending, in a world unseen !

Mind humbled, retreats in silence
Heart throbbing, awestruck, serene
Soul weeps of joy, of love, of gratitude

Oh bewildered me beware
Be conscious of the soul you are
Listen to the songs humming inside
Heighten your inner resolve with faith and hope
Tighten your wounds with patience abound
Change what’s within to change outside
Be the one you dream others would be
Fill your heart with kindness refined
With tender care hold your inner child

Extend your hands to the One Most High
Thus sings my soul
Receive agape love, bestow far and wide
Forevermore

Spread your wings above the clouds, rise and fly
The story unfolds, the plot is thickening, but don’t you mind
Smile to the rainbow, again… The End is worthwhile
Sings my old soul
Sings my old soul

‘∅’ – read as ‘phi’. In mathematics, ∅ is the empty set, it’s the unique set having no elements; its size or cardinality is zero. Example: Set X = {}. It is also called a void set or null set.

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Nahida Izzat: "I am -a Jerusalem born- Palestinian refugee living in exile for over 40 years. I was forced to leave my homeland, Palestine at the age of seven during the six-day war. I am a mathematician by profession but art is one of my favorite pastimes, I love hand-made things, so I make dolls, cards, and most of my clothes. I also write poetry and participate in dialogues with known and unknown friends as I believe that communication is the first step to understanding, I believe in building bridges, not walls. My shy nature hinders me from public speaking, so I try to compensate for my shortcomings by writing! I started writing some years ago when my friends insisted I should write about my memories, experiences, and my feelings as a Palestinian. So I self published two books (I Believe in Miracles and Palestine, The True Story) [Biographical information: Growing Gardens for Palestine]
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Source: nahidaexiledpalestinian.com. IMG: © N/A; Nahida Izzat
AWIP: http://www.a-w-i-p.com/index.php/2023/10/09/ascend