A TALE OF TWO PALESTINIANS

I am here

He is there

Tranquility surrounds me 

Pandemonium surrounds him

I fear nothing 

He fears bombs 

Peacefulness in my home

Helplessness in his tent

Food a plenty fills me

Hungry belly aches him

Water on my nightstand 

Water he cannot find 

Warmth under my covers

Chills through his bones

Tears in my eyes

Survival on his mind

-Fadi Zanayed 

December 6, 2023

11:36 pm

Bewildered

Gaza casualties by Israeli indiscriminate bombardment in July, 2014


My heart bleeds
My eye tears
My mind cannot comprehend
My soul screams to no end
I sit In shock
My jaws lock
My head does shake
A gesture to God my arms make
I scream why
To the One up high

Fadi Zanayed
July 30,2014 6:05am
Lombard, Illinois

Look And Tell Me

 LOOK AND TELL ME

13 year old Palestinian girl, Waad Tamimi, confronts Israeli terrorist soldiers. 

Look at the determination in this young Palestinian girl's eyes,
Look at her clinched fist of rage,
Look at her posture...so brave,
Look at her fortitude, courage and strength,
Look at her grit, perseverance and bravery,
Look at the lack of fear that she exhibits,
Then tell me whether she can be your child,
Tell me if you are proud,
Tell me if within your comforts you realize,
Tell me if you realize the human element,
Tell me if you understand the occupation,
Tell me if you understand the dehumanization of a people,
Tell me if you know that Israeli soldiers are terrorists,
Then tell me if you are doing anything about what you know

(  © 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.)

WE ARE PALESTINE

Palestine is in us and we are Palestinians

We are the land and the land is us

We are the soil of Palestine

And the soil of Palestine runs through our veins

We are the air of Palestine

And the air of Palestine runs through our lungs

We are the mountains of Palestine

And the mountains of Palestine is in our steadfastness

We are the hills and valleys of Palestine

And the hills and valleys of Palestine are in our hearts

We are the olive trees of Palestine

And the olive trees of Palestine give us our skin color

We are the rocks and stones of Palestine

And the rocks and stones of Palestine give us courage

 

 

                                    -Fadi Zanayed

                                    March 8, 2012

                                    12:13 pm

(  © 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.)

Crying Out From My Roots

I am an olive tree in the spring

I have come through another winter

The rainy season has made my buds spring forth

My leaves will come next as my vegetation develops

I will continue to grow in the summer

As my harvest reenergizes me in the fall

My greenery dots the landscape

My olive skin is imbedded in my people

My olive oil flows through their veins

I am the agricultural epicenter of Palestine

I am a symbol of Palestinian steadfastness

My oil brings forth health benefits

The first olive pressing makes me extra virgin

Making me a friend of a healthy heart

Those who drink my oil have longevity

My oil is known to block the generation of cancerous tissue

Cooking with my oil is better for you

Those who know zeit wa zatar have cherished me for years

My roots are deep within the soil of the Holy Land of Palestine

My years have turned into centuries

The sun, the rain and the soil are my best friends

I belong to the land

And the land belongs to me

Why would anyone want to destroy me?

I have only benefited mankind

What have I done to cause my uprooting?

I am the oil of Palestine

My branches have survived emperors, conquerors and world wars

My trunks have survived droughts, floods, invasions and war

But I cannot survive the Apartheid Israeli occupation

I cannot survive the Apartheid Israeli settlers

My branches are being slaughtered

My trunks are being massacred

The victims of genocide are committing genocide upon me

The victims of genocide are committing genocide upon my owners

My roots cry out for justice

My roots cry out for understanding

My roots cry out for steadfastness

My roots cry out for education

My roots cry out for intervention

My roots cry out for peace

                Fadi Zanayed

                March 8, 2012

                7:32 am

Could It Be Her

Could it be her?                               

Over there next to that child  

That elderly woman with the embroidered dress

It looks like the one Grandma always wore

The traditional dress which represents our hometown

The detail, the patterns, the style are distinctive to each town

Could it be her?

Look at those eyes they look like Grandma’s eyes

They are hazel brown eyes rich with color

There is happiness and sadness within those eyes

For deep within them are our memories

The Nakba, the Six-Day War, our family history

Could it be her?

Her face looks so much like Grandma’s face

There is smoothing warmth in her look

The complexion, the lines, the wrinkles, each tell a story

Like the rings of a tree they have a history

Her wedding day, my father’s birth, death of Grandpa

Could it be her?

Her hands look like Grandma’s hands

Look at her hands all aged, spotted and dark

Those are the hands of a worker in the fields

Those are the arms that comforted me

The hugs, the kisses while in those arms

Could it be her?

Her voice is much like Grandma’s voice

It’s soft and soothing yet commanding

I slept listening to her voice tell me folk tales

From her words I learned who I am

Our traditions, our culture, our existence as a people

Could it be her?

It could not be for my Grandma has long passed on

Her dress still lives in our clothing

Her eyes still give us vision

Her face still gives us hope

Her arms still gives us strength

Could it be her?

It is her within us all

We are her through our traditions

We are her through our folk tales

We are her through our weddings

We are her, we are her, we are her

           Attorney Fadi Zanayed, June, 1998


(  © 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.)

Fly Bird Fly

Picture Credit:  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150253161370814&set=a.10150253142165814.321090.524025813&type=3&l=e4ffae0bcc&theater

Whistle in the night

Somber moment without light

I welcome the song of the bird

For days the only sound I’ve heard

The song of freedom chirping in the air

Ironically I am a prisoner of despair

Fly bird fly in support of those who care for you

Go and fight for what we are due

Prosper mentally in our cause

Become a leader who knows when to pause

Build conviction, honor and determination

Build democracy into a nation

Fly bird fly letting your wings stretch across the sky

Encompass within your wings all within our pie

The whole without all its sum is but a part

Be a leader who is brave and smart

Build a consensus while respecting the call

The call to honor and respect for us all

My captors have brought supper for me to eat

Stay and feast before the duty you have to meet

Whistle in the night

Then I’ll know your path is right

Remember me as I linger in jail

Rescue me before I grow old and frail

I will be with you night and day

I am your conscience in the words you say

Bless the children who throw the stone

It is in their eyes that we see what we own

Condemn the hypocrisy of those who occupy

They see not the history of why they cry

Be good, self-righteous and fair

People will listen over the air

Neither harm nor be harmed in the course you take

Rather set your mark and plant your stake

For here is the line you must draw

While respecting international law

The world will then see us within our right

Using civil disobedience not our might

Fly bird fly letting your energy soar

Free me to Palestine once more

           Fadi Zanayed


(  © 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 Palestinian Eagle

I am a Palestinian eagle

Perched upon the tallest olive tree

I see everything as far as it can be seen

But I see not into the distance

Rather I see into the past and the future

I am a Palestinian eagle

I have seen hilltop settlements eating my land

I have seen olive groves uprooted and destroyed

I have seen tanks aiming at children with stones

I have seen my brethren fight against each other

I am a Palestinian eagle

I see my people imprisoned collectively

I see a Swiss chess carving of my land

I see a checkpoint siege of my people

I see unacceptable zones of occupation

I am a Palestinian eagle

I see no end to negotiations

I see children throwing stones

I see woman taking to the streets

I see churches and mosques preaching

I am a Palestinian eagle

I see the international boycott of Israel

I see UN recognition of Palestine

I see World Court tribunals for Israeli leaders

I see a democratic Palestinian state

                                Fadi Zanayed

                                November 23, 2011

                                8:57 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.)

The Olive Tree Howls For Justice

See the Palestinian lady hugging a tree

Not just any tree but an olive tree

See the olive branches cut to the ground

As an Israeli soldiers stand around

See the bulldozer which did the massacre

The massacre of an olive tree acre 

Listen to the agony coming from her face

As the soldiers stand in disgrace

Listen to the tree as it stretches out its arms

As if it is calling out to God to see the harms

Listen to the wind as it blows in the sky

Howling injustice my oh my!

Fadi Zanayed

December 8, 2011

1:45 pm CT

(  © 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.)