To the Children of Palestine
Palestinian and Kurdish children need our love and care. We should always talk
and write about them and about children everywhere. They must never be the
victims of our actions.
Oh children of Palestine,
to whom do you call?
Your friends in the West are sleeping,
your brothers in the East are dead!
Between Gaza and Ramallah
between most Arab countries
between blood brothers
there is continuous war
cold and hot
indicative of the untruth of our motto,
"the unity of the Arab nation"!
We have put our people under siege to die
we abandoned the truth and history
we gave up entirely on the cause
we have come to speak with the tongues of others
we blame and accuse the victims
we accuse the children of Gaza of terrorism
we permitted their blood to be spilled by invaders
we left them to the mercy of
smart bombs, white phosphorus
and Apache helicopters!
Oh children of Palestine,
due you is my greeting of respect and honor
You die only once with dignity
while we die every day––rather every minute––
consumed in the flames of humiliation and disgrace!
Where are the Muslim leaders?
They must be coming
but not to aid their children
rather they are coming to the Western capitals
to congratulate the conjurer
and to declare their own innocence
from their peoples’ demonstrations!
Oh children of Gaza, your severed limbs in the streets
and your blood in the alleys
are testimony to the truthfulness of
the callers for democracy
You will prove the success of their plan
for the new Middle East:
to spread peace
and establish the Palestinian state!
2009 by Yassin Aref