Statement

In order for me to write poetry that isn’t political,

I must listen to the birds

and in order to hear the birds

the warplanes must be silent

Marwan Makhoul

لكي أكتب شعرًا ليس سياسيًّا يجب

أن أصغي إلى العصافير،

ولكي أسمع العصافير يجب

أن تَخرس الطّائرة

مروان مخول

Oh rascal children of Gaza.

You who constantly disturbed me

with your screams under my window.

You who filled every morning

with rush and chaos.

You who broke my vase

and stole the lonely flower on my balcony.

Come back,

and scream as you want

and break all the vases.

Steal all the flowers.

Come back...

Just come back...

Khaled Juma

It has been 75 years since my name became obsolete…

but it will never be insignificant

Beneath the shelter and care of the Scots Pine and Heather, from exile,

I send the gentle Scottish wave to flow over you, Palestine,

to give you the strength to continue to resist and survive.

Nada Shawa

ﻟﻘﺪ ﻣﺮت ﺧﻤﺲٌ وﺳﺒﻌﻮن ﺳﻨﺔً ُ ﻣﻨﺬ أن ﻋﻔﻰ اﻟﺰﻣﻦ ﻋﻠﻰ اﺳﻤِﻲ،

لكنه ﻻ وﻟﻦ ﯾﺼﺒﺢ أﺑﺪا اﺳﻤﺎً ﺗﺎﻓﮭﺎ

ﻣﻦ ﺗﺤﺖ ظلال ِ أﺷﺠﺎرِ اﻟﺼﻨﻮﺑﺮ اﻻﺳﻜﺘﻠﻨﺪﯾﺔ اﻟﺘﻲ آوﺗﻨﻲ ﻓﻲ أﺣﻀــﺎﻧِﮭﺎ، ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﻨﻔﻰ

أرﺳﻞ ﻟﻚِ، ﻟﻚِ ﯾﺎ ﻓﻠﺴﻄﯿﻦ، اﻟﻤﻮﺟﺔُ اﻻﺳﻜﺘﻠﻨﺪﯾﺔ اﻟﺮﻗﯿﻘﺔُ ﺗﻨﺴﺎب ﻓﻮﻗَﻚِ ،

ﻟﺘﻤﻨﺤﻚِ اﻟﻌﺰﯾﻤﺔُ ﻟﻼﺳﺘﻤﺮار ﺑﺎﻟﻤﻘﺎوﻣﺔ واﻻﺳﺘﻤﺮار ﺑﺎﻟﺤﯿﺎة.

ندى الشوا

I grant you refuge

from hurt and suffering.

 

With words of sacred scripture

I shield the oranges from the sting of phosphorous

and the shades of cloud from the smog.

 

I grant you refuge in knowing

that the dust will clear,

and they who fell in love and died together

will one day laugh.

Hiba Abu Nada

(trans. Huda Fakhreddine)

أعيذكِ أن تصابي

أو تعاني

فقد حوطتُ بالسبعِ

المثاني

 

من الفسفورِ طعمَ البرتقالِ

وألوانَ السحابِ

من الدخانِ

 

أعيذكِ

إنَّ من عشِقا وماتا

سينقشعُ الغبارُ

ويضحكانِ

 

اسم الله عليك يا غزة من مجيء الليل.

هبة أبو ندى

She asked me to write poetry - to whom?

Fuck poetry!

If you don't understand how many times our children have faced genocide,

how can you feel poetry?

Ghazi Hussein