Warplanes Whisper: “You’re next!
We’re coming to Rip Life from you,
To Shatter you – beyond recognition²
Here’s the latest: a Child’s Doll has its
Legs Severed – on the Charred porch a
Lady gathers Burning Clothes from a line³
From you the Sword, from us the Blood –
From you the Steel & Fire, from us the Flesh⁴
How is it the same Fingers shape the Melody can
Coldly wrap around a Trigger – point it at a Heart?⁵
A Bullet Lands in your Land – turns your
Dream into Ash, your Cause into Cash⁶
The War Planes choose You, discover
You, plant their Blackness in You⁷
What shall expose the Murderer –
But the Innocence of our Blood?⁸
The Blood which springs from
Their Bodies flows from Ours⁹
Our Bloodied Banners flutter
Above the glitter of Spears¹⁰
¹ Kamal Qaddura tr. M. Jayyusi & Reed, Language
² Shahd Safi, Words Stumbling with Guilt
³ Samih al-Qasim tr. Elmusa & Nye, You Pretend to Die
⁴ Mahmoud Darwish, Those Who Pass in Jerusalem Post, April 2, 1988
⁵ Lena Jayyusi, The Beggar
⁶ Fedaa Alsoufi, If the Sky Ends
⁷ Mai Sayigh tr. L. Jayyusi & Nye, Departure
⁸ Mu’een Bseiso tr. M. Jayyusi & Nye, Footsteps
⁹ Yusef ‘Abd al-‘Aziz tr. M. Jayyusi & Nye, The Shaqeef Moon
¹⁰ Abu Salma tr. Elmusa & Nye, We Shall Return