POETRY | PALESTINE | EVENTS

Poetry for Palestine

Weaving one collective poem for justice and freedom

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Sunday night (12/29), I had the honor of delivering the opening remarks and reading poetry at the ‘Poetry for Palestine’ event organized by Howard County for a Free Palestine.

The author (Photos by the organizers, with permission, 2024)

It was uplifting to see the gathering so well-attended. Unusually for an open mic event, all the poets had something powerful to say. It truly felt like one collective poem.

Almost 100 people attended our evening of poetry (Photos by the author, 2024)

Enjoy these photos and the following excerpt from my opening remarks.

The event was held at Busboys and Poets, Columbia, Maryland (Photos by the author, 2024)

The volunteers who organized this event worked tirelessly to make it so seamless, and deserve our utmost gratitude. So do the two ASL interpreters, who must have signed ‘Palestine’ several hundred times in just two hours.

An empowering event (Photos by the author, 2024)

Many of you rallied and marched
Organized lectures and movie nights
Supported student encampments
Generously gave your money and time

“The worst thing,” a contact from Gaza recently told me,
is that they’ve been waiting and waiting for a ceasefire
but still have no idea when.

“Just tell us when!”

Even so, Palestinians are still resisting!

Likewise, we cannot succumb to helplessness and despair.

We empower ourselves when we recognize that we are part of the system that we want to change.

Every mile we drive, every dollar we spend contributes to the world being the way it is.