I Bloody my Usurper’s face
With Poems sharp as Knives²
War Explodes in the Mountains and
The Sky while you sit Writing Poetry³
Poetry happens when nothing else can in Gaza⁴
They have Killed my Family Outside Poetry –
Poetry is my chance to Settle the Score with Killers⁵
Every Beautiful Poem is an Act of Resistance⁶
My Bones are Frail – my Song Grinds Stone⁷
It is not Poetry’s job to wipe away Tears:
Poetry should dig a Trench – where they
Can Overflow and Drown the Universe⁸
The Tear Gas canisters Exploding will
Lend your coming Dance its Rhythm⁹
Silent we are, but should we Speak
We would Unite Fire with Blood¹⁰
¹ Laila al-Sa’ih tr. M. Jayyusi & Nye, Intimations of Anxiety
² Tawfiq Zayyad tr. Aida Bamia, Bitter Sugar
³ Rashid Husain tr. M. Jayyusi & Nye, Damascus Diary
⁴ Shahd Safi, Your Eyes Are Poetry
⁵ Alham Bsharat tr. Fady Joudah, How I Kill Soldiers
⁶ Mahmoud Darwish (كل قصيدة جميلة هي فعل مقاومة)
⁷ Ghassan Zaqtan tr. Fady Joudah, Strangeness
⁸ Zakaria Mohammed tr. Lena Tuffaha, Untitled Poem IV
⁹ Samih al-Qasim tr. Nazih Kassis, Sadder than Water
¹⁰ Ibrahim Tuqan tr. L. Jayyusi & Heath-Stubbs, Commando