In Gaza, rising at Dawn and
Trying to survive another day,
Is coming back from the Dead.²
Every time we leave home: it’s Suicide,
And each Return: a failed attempt³
We’re still breathing—but that
Isn’t enough to feel Alive!⁴
Every night & every day,
We are re-Widowed, re-Orphaned—⁵
And what of context? When a child talks of Death,
There’s no context—when a baby is Starved, no context.⁶
The god of war spots us Lifeless in war’s Meanness.⁷
How serene death is—
Except for your Weeping!
And how tranquil but for your hands
Pounding my breast for me to Return.⁸
We whisper the names of Martyrs lost,
Into the wind, no matter the Cost—
So their Stories may travel far & wide,
Across oceans vast, with wind as our guide!⁹
Can we convince death of its failure? Can death
Believe we’re walking with our Departed’s Feet?
Because our steps are their Steps,
And our eyes are their Eyes,
And this poem their Listening …¹⁰
¹ Basman Derawi, An Ode to Ouda’s Vocal Chords
² Mosab Abu Toha, Hard Exercise
³ Maya Abu Al-Hayyat tr. Fady Joudah, What If
⁴ Ahmed Dremly, Nothing
⁵ Tawfiq Sayigh tr. Haydar & Reed, The Poem K
⁶ Salaheldin Eleyan, A Child Should Never Die
⁷ Ghassan Zaqtan tr. Fady Joudah, Three Intentions
⁸ Mahmoud Darwish tr. L. Jayyusi & Reed, Intensive-Care Unit
⁹ Huda Skaik, Echoes from Gaza
¹⁰ Mourid Barghouti tr. Fady Joudah, A Small Eternity