Dear God | a poem by Joanah Madzime

Spoken word poetry Palestine Gaza - you cannot silence the sea

Shades of Anger - Poem about Palestine

My Homeland

Ibrahim Tuqan – My Homeland

My homeland
My homeland
Glory and beauty
Sublimity and prettiness
Are in your hills
Life and deliverance
Pleasure and hope
Are in your atmosphere
Will I see you?
Safe and comfortable

Sound and honored
Will I see you?
In your eminence
Reaching the stars
My homeland
My homeland
*

The youth will not get tired
Their goal is your independence

Or they die
We will drink from death
But we will not be slaves to our enemies
We do not want
An eternal humiliation
Nor a miserable life
We do not want
But we will return
Our great glory
My homeland
My homeland

*
The sword and the pen
Are our symbols
Not talking nor quarreling
Our glory and covenant
And a duty to fulfill it
Shake us
Our honor
Is an honorable cause
A raised flag
O, your beauty
In your eminence
Victorious over your enemies
My homeland
My homeland

As mentioned above, Ibrahim is Fadwa’s brother who initially introduced her to poetry and literature. Born and raised to a prominent governing family in Nablus in 1905, his works are believed to have influenced generations and echoed the very silenced Palestinian voices at the turn of the 20th century. 

My Homeland seems to serve as both a tribute and reminder of how resilient Palestinians are,  bearing and carrying “the sword and the pen (as) (their) symbols” at all times – proof that the Palestinian cause will only die out once each and every single pen runs out of ink.

Enough for Me

 Fadwa Tuqan – Enough for Me

Enough for Me

Enough for me to die on her earth

be buried in her

to melt and vanish into her soil

then sprout forth as a flower

played with by a child from my country.

Enough for me to remain

in my country’s embrace

to be in her close as a handful of dust

a sprig of grass

a flower.

Considered one of the most distinguished contemporary Arab poets, Fadwa Tuqan’s works have been met with great international success and awards. Born in 1917, she has witnessed her homeland sweep from British rule to leave room for the creation of an Israeli state and a Palestinian authority within decades – an experience

that she made sure to pen down. Her introduction to poetry was made through her brother who is no other than the illustrious Ibrahim Tuqan, another Palestinian nationalist poet whose work is believed to have rallied Arabs during their revolt against the British mandate.

In this poem, Fadwa attempts to shed light, through a handful of verses, on her roots and how home will always be home no matter what. Titled Enough for Me, it seems as if the author wants us to know that no matter what could happen to her homeland it will always be hers and no one will be able to take that away from her. 

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