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POETRY | PALESTINE
Poem: From the Sea to the River
A poem about the silencing of Palestine
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FROM THE SEA TO THE RIVER
I cannot talk about the house of my grandfather
In Lydd
That’s too contro-vers-ial!
I cannot tell you about my cousin
Who “died in an airstrike”
Nor can I name the killer.
I will be banned if I showed you a picture
of his charred toddler,
Deported! if I held a vigil in their honor.
Such actions surely diss-comfort another.
I cannot dispute the forty headless babies,
Rape-lies, or other October horrors.
I cannot name the land of my mother
I cannot say, “From the river …”
The sea, I cannot see
Without the jailer’s letter
Never mind,
This land freely flows in my blood –
Every inch of it
Every tree, every flower
From the Sea,
To the River
It is Palestine — Falasteen
Forever!
In solidarity with Mahmoud Khalil and all others being persecuted for their defense of human rights.
With love,
Ramsey Hanhan
Author and Public Speaker
