By Hana Hashmi
Why did you not know?
How could you not know?
That your time on earth is limited,
That you would only come to go.
Oh dear children of Falasteen,
Did not you see back then?
It’s been 75 years, nothings changed,
So why’d you come back again?
Did you really think that this time,
Your bloodline would be exempted?
Why did you not know? How could you not see?
From the worldly dreams, you got tempted.
Oh dear children of Falasteen,
We expect more from you,
More than your brains can comprehend,
More than your hearts can carry.
Why did you not know?
How could you not know?
That your time on earth is limited,
That you would only come to go.
Why did not you think?
How could you even dream?
Didn’t you hear from inside the womb,
The other children scream?
Oh dear children of Falasteen
My tears are now all drying,
Just like the empty water taps,
Your tiny hands, to open, keep trying.
They say you’re a human shield,
And that they have a right to defend,
Make no mistake, don’t be naive,
Their lies will just never end.
Why did you not know?
How could you not know?
That your time on earth is limited,
That you would only come to go.
You came to dream, to learn, to see
Instead, you became the one to teach,
Humanity, the reality,
Of the pseudo humans that preach.
You braved the bullets,
You took a chance, to play and to dance,
But the most you could get,
Was a neutral stance.
From the ones that had power,
To change and protect,
Instead while you wept,
They turned their back on you and slept.
Oh dear children of Falasteen,
You came at a time when everyone could see, brutality of this kind,
But you didn’t know, their eyes, hearts, and their souls,
Are all sealed and are blind.
They say you are not the targets,
That you are hiding someone evil,
You came in the way of those rockets,
Sounds like just another sequel.
Why did you not know?
How could you not know?
That your time on earth is limited,
That you would only come to go.
Now that you came, now that you’re here
Show them what is true,
The ones that don’t see, the ones that don’t care, That onus is on you.
The burden we put on you is heavy,
Heavier than the bombs that dropped,
Yet, you must carry on,
Your sacrifices must not be stopped.
We watched you die, we watched you burn,
And shatter into a hundred pieces,
You dared to think you could go to school,
When all you could be is a topic for someone’s thesis.
Oh dear children of Falasteen,
Into my heart, into my mind,
You took up all the space,
Little did you know, not once did you think,
You’d also need a physical place.
You should have just stayed in Jannah,
You should have just waited,
For your parents to come and see for themselves,
That this world is quite frankly, overrated
Not for my eyes but for my soul pained and tortured as much as the still bodies of these children of paradise. Will Israel and Hamas now agree to sit down and negotiate ways to have a safe border behind which both Palestine and Israel will flourish. These were the sentiments of Yasser Arafat who I had the great privilege of meeting in New Delhi in my capacity as Professor of International Studies, MMAJ-Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi-India. He spoke of both Palestine and Israel with a beautiful and brilliant smile on his face which I will remember till my last day. Be a Yasser Arafat, if you can. Dream and work like him. Think like him.
Dr. Shri Prakash
Hats off to the reaction a sample of humanity not understood by Israel and its supporters. Sure pallastine cannot be wiped out of the world map. Truth and justice always prevail over adacity and stubbornness