"Because I Am a Palestinian."

Because I am a Palestinian

Because I am enamored of fate
And my fate is to have my blood
turned into songs
That sketch out the roads to freedom
My fate is to become a human bomb
Because I am a Palestinian.

Oh lovers of cruelty, we
Inform you in the name of our hopes
Either I will meet Allah by means
of perfume and musk(1)
Or I will live on my land in
freedom and honor.

Much to your distress, we will not
forget Haifa and Acre
To your distress, all of Palestine is ours
Because I am a Palestinian.

We have nothing for you but death
Plant as many Gharqad trees as you like(2)
Build as many shelters and hiding places
as you desire
Your history is black and covered
Your ancestry is a tree whose
branches are corrupt
Because I am a Palestinian
And the Arab rulers in this homeland
Lie in a perpetual sleep
Eating from the fruit of your tree
And drinking of your humiliation
As if they were not Muslims.

Because I am a Palestinian
Because I bear the flag
And long for the memory of Hittin(3)
I will place the parts of my body as bombs
In your hatred, in your origin
In your accursed fruit
And in spite of you, they will germinate the most beautiful of flowers
They will germinate the most
beautiful Palestine
Because I am a Palestinian.

And, if you want, artificially create
your false peace.

poem by Ayman Al-Skafi,

[1] These statements refer to Jerusalem.
[2] Koranic term used to define the area adjacent to the enemy's land.

[3] Al-Rai 'Al-'am (Kuwait), December 12, 2001.

[4] Al-Hayat (London), December 13, 2001.