Palestine, Victory Redefined

Nahida Izzat,
Exiled Palestinian
Poetry For Palestine

Will this nightmare ever end?
How many more souls have to perish?
Will the criminals ever feel satisfied?
How many more babies need to be mutilated?
Will this barbarity ever cease to be?
Many ask in bewildered rage and fatigued anger

Eyes glued to blooded screens
Tortured if we look,
Tortured if we close our eyes
Charcoaled bodies
Headless babies
Blood-soaked shoes
Bags of flesh
Disfigured faces
Hands hanging out under tons of stones

Images of atrocities sizzle in our psyche
Screams of horror throb inside piercing our souls
Humanity, forced to become a witness:
To watch extreme brutality of man against man
Innocence slaughtered in broad daylight
Babies burned in their mothers arms
Terror… Terror with no end in sight

Yet, at the hands of Western Media
and chambers of power
scandals unfold
Truth is kept hidden, with mountains of lies

Palestinians, the true victims of genocide
Eighty years, of perpetual Nakba
Their homes usurped and land occupied

Before “Judaeo-Christian values” they stand vilified:
“terrorists” who “raped Jewish women” and “beheaded 40 Jewish babies”
At the altar of Jewish supremacy
They’ve been crucified
Their extermination is “fully justified”

Humanity’s consciousness has been pulverized
“Values” Disgraced
Conscience taunted without respite
Torn between what eyes have seen
and the lies uttered on TV screens

Before our mystified eyes
Good and evil clash head to head
Their supporters, polarized
The battlefield is the holy land

No one can claim they didn’t see
No one can claim they didn’t know
No one can claim they don’t understand

Frantically flicking up and down our hand-held devices,
Searching for a meme of hope, to like and share
Some comfort to soothe our soaring pain
Some words of wisdom for peace-yearning souls

Indeed, without fail
Palestine comes to the rescue

We stumble upon a smile
Gorgeous, made in Heaven
A war-stricken child
With a tear in her eye, refusing to fall down

A little girl with no limbs at all
“We are not leaving, we are not going anywhere”
she cries
“Here we stay”
“A bone in their throats, a thorn in their eyes”

A little boy, a sweet smile, raising the victory sign
Singing: Free Free Palestine… Free Free Palestine
“Here we live, and here we shall die”

Awe-struck, inspired, filled with hope again
Soul finds solace, somehow

Despite all the pain and horror, Palestinians are holding tight,
Against all odds, they remain steadfast
Courageous, resilient, graceful
Dignified and humane
Freedom is precious
Dignity is worth the fight

Curious, we ask
But, how, what, where and why?
How come they never give up?
Where does this sumoud come from?
Why do they never lose hope?
What keeps their humanity intact?

Faith and trust without a shadow of doubt

With God Almighty, the Creator of Heavens and Earth
There is no coincidence, nothing is left to chance
Every life has a purpose
Every action has an impact

The All Aware, Most Fair,
Most Graceful, Most Merciful,
Most Wise, Most Loving, Most Kind
Neither oblivious nor unaware,
Never overtaken by forgetfulness or slumber

Palestinians know!

“Alhamdulillah”, when they are grateful
“Alhamdulillah”, when in pain
This nightmare will come to an end, insha’a Allah
Their suffering is not in vain,
Nor is their sacrifice
They burn like a candle to cast darkness away
For the world to rise and shine;
No one is inferior, No one is superior
“chosen” is a self-inflected harm
You are but sisters and brothers
So love one another
Do away with “chutzpah”, live in humility,
Scatter seeds of Justice, so peace may prevail

For us, Palestinians
It’s a win-win situation
If we survive the genocide
We would be reunited with our homeland
Living a life of dignity, freedom
Celebrating Life with utmost joy

If we are exterminated
Our death is only a pathway
To a new World Unseen
Where souls dwell serene
Forevermore
We would embrace our destiny
With grace and gratitude
For the gift of life, we are grateful
and for our return Home we would be elated
“To God we belong, and
To God we return”

Our faith, love, hope,
Steadfastness and martyrdom
Will inspire the world
Expanding its consciousness
Beyond the cosmos
Into the realm of the Divine
Infinite, Magnificent and Sublime
Where justice anchored like hills and mountain
and compassion sways like meadows around
Vibrant with nectar, scent and colour
Where Love of God reigns supreme
and love of creation flows like a stream

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Image-4 is © Getty Images. AWIP: http://www.a-w-i-p.com/index.php/aS67