As I Wonder

The aroma awakens the senses

As Dad cooks the foul beans

Fresh peeled and diced garlic are scattered

As a lemon is squeezed into the bowl

Parsley is used to garnish

As virgin olive oil is poured

My mouth salivates

As my mother's freshly baked bread comes out of the oven

Hot tea is boiling

As we gather around the kitchen table

My thoughts are of those wonderful mornings

As I wonder why my foul doesn’t taste the same

I long for those days in Ramallah

As I remember the camaraderie of our neighbors

I long for plucking fresh succulent figs

As I remember our farm filled with fruits

I long for the day where I can return

As I wonder if peace will fill the air

Pre-Camp David Sentiment

(This poem was written on December 4, 2011)

As a youngster in the 1970s I wanted to know

So I listened to the news at every avenue

Sat and engrossed myself about our foe

No end was the limit of my mind’s view

I read articles about Palestine

In magazines, newspapers and books

Listened as elders would discuss after we did dine

A discussion on Palestine was bait on hooks

Elders cheered as hijackings took place

But I knew that it was wrong

Frustration was painted on their face

As their chins dropped making it long

As I reflect about my father and his generation

They lost Palestine, not one fought in the 1948 war

Not one of them reminisced about an inspiration

Not one story about a military story or something more

Recently I learned of an Iraqi Colonel’s 1948 story

His command was attacking and gaining strength

Without cause his orders came from a phony

A King ordered him to cut the rope’s length

Black gold was pouring out of the Gulf’s well

Using it to our advantage should have been a plan

The Arab Oil Embargo of 1974 they tried to sell

Long gas lines exasperated the American

During the Yon kipper War, OPEC wanted to drive a wedge

Between America and Israel

But it really did strengthen Israel’s edge

Their powerful lobby was and still is for real

So in 1978 this was the scene before Camp David

As Sadat, Carter and Begin met

Tensions were very vivid

And my hopes were set

Fadi Zanayed

December 4, 2011

5:19 am