Tuesday, December 13, 2011

The Apartheid Israeli Wall




Imagine if you will this day
A wall surrounding Any Town, USA
Let’s say it is Peoria in the heartland
Occupied and surrounded by an apartheid band
Only one gate allows passage outside
To which the residents must abide
The gate is open only in three intervals
A total of 50 minutes--at this one marvels

But wait and listen to me
For there is more to hear and see
Children rush the gate in the morning
To cross to their school through the opening
If in the afternoon the Apartheid soldier forgets to open the gate
The school children for dinner they will be late
Waiting outside until the night opening
Waiting alone along the crossing

But wait and listen to me
Should you happen to be
Happen to be pregnant and in need
In need of a hospital to deliver your seed
No cars may leave through the gate
This is how they subjugate
As this is a way to enslave
The residents inside the enclave

But wait and listen to me
For there is much more I can tell thee
The agriculture of the town is outside the wall
The intention of the apartheid is to haul
Rather to confiscate the land around
Preventing the owners from tilling the ground
As only the very young and very old can pass through
Can pass through the gate leaving workers with nothing to do

But wait and listen to me
Listen to this I beg and plea
Water wells are confiscated
For residents to be motivated
Motivated to leave in time
Leave the place called the bread basket of Palestine
This is a well laid plan
A well laid plan the Apartheid State of Israel did design

But wait and listen to me
If you have a brother you want to see
The wall sometimes cuts through the middle
Middle of the town and does fiddle
Fiddle with relationships and relatives
As on either side each one lives
The Apartheid occupiers do not care
As they divide, split and flare
Flare the emotions and leave them in despair
A policy to uproot the residence is in the air

But wait and listen to me
This is not Peoria you see
This is Qalqilya in Palestine
The conditions are not fine
The town’s people are in a prison
For that Apartheid Israel is the reason
Building a wall that does divide
Dividing people on either side


(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)

Saturday, December 10, 2011

The Stone


 
Held proudly
It can give us the courage of an army
Inside our hearts we need a stone
Nothing then can prevent our desire

Thrown powerfully  
It can bring down a mighty tank
Inside our minds we need a stone
Nothing then can destroy our will

Hurled rightfully
It can mobilize a movement
Inside our soul we need a stone
Nothing then can stop our march

Videoed abundantly
It can spin worldwide in a viral
Inside cyberspace we need a stone
Nothing then can delete our cause

Raised triumphantly
It can bring parties to the peace table
Inside our strategy we need a stone
Nothing then can prevent our Palestinian State

Fadi Zanayed
December 10, 2011
9:17am

(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)

I Am A Jerusalemite


 
The darkness of the morning engulfs my spirit
Although the sun will undoubtedly rise
I will still be empty within my soul

I live in the land of the brave
Yet I feel feeble and without energy
As I long to break the restraints of freedom

I was born in the City of Peace
By birthright I should be able to live in its glory
Yet I am imprisoned outside its walls

A Jew born outside its holy sites
May absorb its beauty from within
And glorify God inside its blossom

I am a naturalized citizen of God’s City
Yet God is used to cleanse me away
To punish me because I am a Palestinian

I am a Jerusalemite within my spirit
My sun rises over my City of Peace
Beckoning me to return, to return, to return

Fadi Zanayed
December 10, 2011
5:56 am

(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)

Friday, December 9, 2011

DEIR YASSIN


(This poem was written on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Deir Yassin Massacre by the Irgun Gang, led by the future Prime Minister of Israel Menecham Begin)


For fifty years
I have had these tears
As the night cries
For what has been
You cannot begin to realize

For fifty years
The cries bring forth more tears
For what he said
I will never forget
Tonight son I will tuck you in bed

For fifty years
I have waited in tears
For him to enter our door
If only for one minute
Wanting to see him once more

For fifty years
I have looked back with tears
Seeing him so brave
Defending Deir Yassin
Yet knowing he is in his grave

For fifty years
I wondered in tears
For what could have been
A town so magnificent
No more can it be seen

For fifty years
I have watched with tears
At our plight
Filled with much  misery
After we took flight


For fifty years
I look back with tears
1948 was a catastrophe
Our hopes were dashed
When will we be free

For fifty years
I cannot wipe away the tears
Seeing those bodies
In Sabra and Chatilla
Renewed all my animosities

For fifty years
I choked back tears
At that famous handshake
Where will it lead
Will it relieve my heartache

For fifty years
I welcomed the tears
As our leader stood on our soil
We are our government
But will it lead to no more toil

For fifty years
I am saddened with tears
At our complacency
Feeling the work is done
Yet only in its infancy

For fifty years
I am filled with fresh tears
Deir Yassin is only a breathe away
It lives in our memories
No matter what comes our way

For fifty years
I have longed for an end to those tears
For my father and his smile
Our battle has just begun
It encounters us with ever mile

For fifty years
I cannot shed these tears
The battle is within me
For I look to my son
To set us free


(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)

To You I Ask


                To you O’fedayeeh
                I ask you to be fight for my rights
                Fight for my right to be at peace
To you O’song writer
I ask that you write me a song
Sing about my longing to be home
                To you O’lawyer
                I ask that you defend my rights
                Prosecute the injustice inflicted upon me
To you O’doctor
I ask that you heal my wounds
Nurture my heartache and my soul
                To you O’political activist
                I ask you to continue to speak out
                Protest my incarceration for my thoughts
To you O’businessman
I ask that you continue to donate
Give money to those who promote my cause
                To you O’poet
                I ask that you continue your prose
                Declaring with rhythmic words my desire for peace
To you O’parents
I ask that you teach your children
Educate them about my culture
                To you O’grandparents
                I ask that you to be guardians of our heritage
                Retell stories of playing on my serene and beautiful hills
To you O’children
I ask you to pledge yourselves to me
Learn to educate others about my history
                To you O’leader
                I ask you to govern with justice     
                Transfer orderly the power of my government  


(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)

Everything is Palestine


If the news does not contain
News about Palestine
There is no news

If the singer does not sing
A song about Palestine
He is not a singer

If a movie does not contain
A scene of Palestine
It is not a movie

If a parent does not teach
His children about Palestine
He is not a parent

If a bird does not migrate
In the spring from Palestine
He is not a bird

If the rain does not come
From the direction of Palestine
It is not rain

If the air that I breathe
Does not pass through Palestine
It is not air


(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)

Baby Girl Zanayed


(This poem was my very first poem written inside my mind while driving after losing my first child.  She lived only 5 minutes)



Please daddy, don’t you cry
For God has taken me to the sky

Please mommy, don’t feel blue
For you must know I love you

Please do not worry; I will be fine
For I’ll petition God for peace in Palestine

It is a mission I must do
God has chosen me to see it through

I will be with you; you will be fine
For all your thoughts will be mine

Please do not worry, for you will see
A healthy child with help from me






(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)

What We Fight For


Call you not a king
I fight not to be ruled
But to rule as a people

Call you not President for life
I fight for democracy
Not to be unbelievably ignorant

Call you not a theocracy
I fight for everyone’s freedom
Not to have beliefs imposed upon me

Call you not an administrator of torture
I fight for the respect of human rights
Not to have scars for my thoughts

Call you not a Marxist state
I fight for freedom to live
Not to have a spy watch my every move

Call you not an Authority
I fight for our own destiny
Not to be a subservient colonial state

Call you an Independent Democratic State
I fight to be free
Not to be afraid of you




(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)

If The Sun Rises


If the moon shall ask us for the sun
From where shall we get it
Can darkness and light meet
Or does one begin and the other end

If our dreams are full of hope
Will we out live our despair
Are our hopes and despair mutually exclusive
Or does one come while the other is here

If our brother hungers for freedom
Will we assist him
Will our help encourage his hope
Or will our neglect continue his despair

If we put down our stones
Will they be ready for peace
Are the stones and negotiations independent solutions
Or is one dependent on the other

If our leaders can no longer lead
Will they yield to the more able
Will the greater good prevail
Or will personal glory be the death of us all

If the sun rises in the morning
Will we be ready for the light
Will we rejoice together in our victory
Or will the sudden brightness blind us all


(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)

Dilemma of Direction



Shall I follow the clouds
Or shall I follow the sun

                Which will lead me to
                The mountain tops of Palestine

                Within my dilemma I see visions of clouds
                Endlessly hovering over my ancestor’s olive trees

I see my people living in gloom day by day
In an endless hopeless state under the iron fists of the Zionists

                I hear rumors of peace
                A homeland for my people and security for all

                My senses tell me to follow the clouds
                For surely they will lead me to Palestine

My dilemma is compounded
For should I return behind the clouds

                The answer must surely be NO!
                For the clouds will still be forever over Palestine

                But if I should not follow the clouds
                Then how can I follow the sun

What then shall I do
My dilemma grows deeper and deeper

                                Wait! I have it!
I shall lead the sun to Palestine



(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)

That Is Our...


Transplanted yet set in the past
Assimilating yet set apart
That is our people

Free yet seeking to be free
Followers yet seeking to lead
That is our leaders

Organizing yet not organized
Unified yet not in unity
That is our organizations

Horrified yet also bewildered
Concerned yet also apathetic
That is our feelings

Reconciliation yet not reconciled
Agreement yet not agreeing
That is our peace process


(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)

Why?




Why build Har Homa
To preempt negotiations
Setting off clashes

Why decide to provoke
To keep your coalition alive
Ignoring the security risks

Why disobey your advisors
To appease a few
Setting off bombings

Why kill thyself
To kill others in the act
Slaughtering the innocent

Why deprive a child
To make a point
Leaving her motherless

Why set off another tragedy
To preserve Jabal Abu Ghneim
Expressing your rage 








(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)

Web Of Money, Time and Thoughts




What a web we are in                
                Go here go there
Wedding, graduation, birthday parties
                                                Are we in our own refugee camp
Not concerned about our brother

Where is our money going
                                Pay this pay that
Taxes, insurance, mortgage
                                                                Are we better off sending our money home
So our brother can eat

Where is our free time
                                Run here run there
Working, shopping, meeting
Are we losing ourselves in our own hourglass
Leaving our brother to fend for himself

Where are our thoughts
                                                                                Do this do that
Rushing, faxing, hurrying
                                                Are we lost within our own mind
Not daring to express our brother’s concerns

Where are we going
                This way that way
Critiquing, objecting, fighting
                                Are we caught within ourselves
Abandoning our brother’s struggle in our disunity

The Uprising Home and the Stone


(This poem was written in 1988)

On the lot we own
50’ by 125’ surrounded by stone
Seven rooms house two
My conscience tells me that is too few

In front there is a driveway
In back we harvest the land as we may
Our furniture is brand new
And of course the living room has an adorable view

Water comes from the faucet
New clothes fill the closet
Two bathrooms are a luxury
The wall pictures make a wonderful memory

The washer does away with the clothesline
The thermostat controls the temperature just fine
The carpet on the floor keeps our feet warm
The brick house protects us from the storm

Our house has given us a sense of insulation
But are we really free from the oppression and occupation
Can we really be that far away
From the stone being thrown everyday

Should we purchase another phone
Or donate the money to our people who throw the stone
Can we cut down on meat
And donate the money for our people to eat

O’yes we must give
We must give for as long as we live
For it could have been us
Living in that unholy mess


(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)

Don't Forget Me!


                Hey there...where are you going?
                Do not turn your back
                Come-hither I tell you

                Hey there...did you forget
                I am your people
                I am your culture

                Hey there...hold your head up
                I am what makes you who you are
                I am you

                Hey there...be proud of me
                I am your hospitality
                I am your heritage

                Hey there...come see me
                Join me in conversation
                Dance to my music

                Hey there...appreciate my richness
                Eat of my food
                Absorb my anecdotes

                Hey there...now you can go
                Praise me to your friends
                Write about me to the world


(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)

Due Diligence



What is all the commotion?
Why is there so much confusion?
Please tell me, I was on vacation

While you were baking in the sun
The enemy fought us in battle and won
Now it is over, now it is done

But I was only gone one week
For some fishing on a favorite creek
My absence cannot be the reason we were so weak

Not only your absence, but also of others
Palestine was deserted by her sons and daughters
The blame must rest with the mothers

Desertion is too harsh a description
I cannot understand your tone of condemnation
All I took was a one-week vacation

Due diligence is what is needed
For us to be liberated
Your absence has driven us back to where we started

I now understand, Palestinians cannot rest
Regaining our homeland is a long hard quest
Buy why on the mother’s shoulders must the blame rest

Palestinian mothers bear a heavy responsibility
They must instill in their children absolute loyalty
To there country and nationality


(  © Copyright, Fadi Zanayed.  Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)