Friday, March 1, 2019

Preserved Online For All To See ... a poem by Anne Selden Annab


“My Christian grandmother and my Muslim grandmother in Palestine” - Shared by a Palestinian man on Facebook

  The Holy Land

You have bullets, bully brigades,
biblical words & word smiths
all fundraising for more...
More injustice. More suffering.
More homes and gardens usurped,
more children tormented and
families destroyed in what was
(what always will be)
historic Palestine.

We have nothing much more
than personal stories,
beloved memories,
and old photographs
preserved online for all to see.

We are people, human beings.
Our ancestry reaches back
totally entwined with every
rock and stone, every tree,
every water well, every little flower,
no matter where we are now.

Our recipes are of the land
and trade routes, plus trial
and error.  We helped perfect bread
baked in clay ovens, in our own way.

Our Zaatar is a scrumptious blend
of herbs & our olive oil is heavenly gold.

We keep keys.

Our embroideries are
by hand, with symbols
imagined and taught
mother to daughter for eons,
for longer than thread can last.

Our hope is that one day
justice and peace will prevail
for all good people willing to
actively empower fair and just laws
with full and equal rights, respect, 
dignity... and security for all.

                                  poem copyright ©2015 Anne Selden Annab                  
-->

Bethlehem is in mourning this Christmas. People in Gaza are starving. And bombs are still falling. But many good people simply refuse to hate

  "“Nobody can force us to hate ... We refuse to be enemies.” That’s what Amal Nassar, Zaher’s sister, told the BBC when it reported ...