"في عالمٍ مواز"

It was possible for these birds,

Which feed on the trash of the universe in Gaza

And drown in a river of exhaustion and darkness

And their bodies smashed beneath the rain of hunger

And rising smoke dust

From the chimney of the relentless massacre 

To win prizes in physics, mathematics, and literature

And the various sports 

To fly in skies filled with shades of blue

To have choices, plentiful and exceptional

To enjoy the most beautiful images of property and peace

For us to see their names and images on television screens

As they chant 

create

Invent

Spread love

Dance in the streets

And fly in the freedom of the sky 

shooting the sun as ears of wheat for the peasants

And love as food

For the deprived and bereaved

As joy flutters around them like butterflies

It smiles and distributes to them a few candies

And lots of warmth

 Instead, they become breaking news,

With news channels chewing their flesh,

And the coffins…

And the devil’s tongues in Washington

And the mills of imperialism behind shut windows

Without symbolism

Or divinity

Like numbers eliminated by time’s absurdity

And the debauchery of the civilized world

In the face of painful and deliberate scenes

That crush our capacity to comprehend or feel

The night’s dust is shaken off onto our nightmares

And blinds us from seeing them

Do not forget their names,

their torn clothes,

And the sound of their loud laughter.