Eye to Eye

[Diamante]

Eye to eye

- A poem from Palestine -

By Gihad Ali

 

 

Look into my eyes

And tell me what you see.

You don't see a thing,

'cause you can't possibly relate to me.

 

You're blinded by our differences.

My life makes no sense to you.

I'm the persecuted Palestinian.

You're the American red, white and blue.

 

Each day you wake in tranquillity,

No fears to cross your eyes.

Each day I wake in gratitude,

Thanking God He let me rise.

 

You worry about your education

And the bills you have to pay.

I worry about my vulnerable life

And if I'll survive another day.

 

Your biggest fear is getting ticketed

As you cruise your Cadillac.

My fear is that the tank that just left

Will turn around and come back.

 

American, do you realize,

That the taxes that you pay

Feed the forces that traumatize

My every living day?

 

The bulldozers and the tanks,

The gases and the guns,

The bombs that fall outside my door,

All due to American funds.

 

Yet do you know the truth

Of where your money goes?

Do you let your media deceive your mind?

Is this a truth that no one knows?

 

You blame me for defending myself

Against the ways of Zionists.

I'm terrorized in my own land

And I'm the terrorist?

 

You think you know all about terrorism

But you don't know it the way I do,

So let me define the term for you,

And teach you what you thought you knew.

 

I've known terrorism for quite some time,

Fifty-five years and more.

It's the fruitless garden uprooted in my yard.

It's the bulldozer in front of my door.

 

Terrorism breathes the air I breathe.

It's the checkpoint on my way to school.

It's the curfew that jails me in my own home,

And the penalties of breaking that curfew rule.

 

Terrorism is the robbery of my land,

And the torture of my mother,

The imprisonment of my innocent father,

The bullet in my baby brother.

 

So American, don't tell me you know about

The things I feel and see.

I'm terrorized in my own land

And the blame is put on me.

 

But I will not rest, I shall never settle

For the injustice my people endure.

Palestine is our land and there we'll remain

Until the day our homeland is secure.

 

And if that time shall never come,

Then we will never see a day of peace.

I will not be thrown from my own home,

Nor will my fight for justice cease.

 

And if I am killed, it will be in Filasteen

It's written on my every breath.

So in your own patriotic words,

Give me liberty or give me death.

 

By Gihad Ali

[STOIC]

Yesterday was "DAY OF ACTION AGAINST CATERPILLAR".Caterpillar(American company, shameful to admit) supplies equipment used by the Israeli army to destroy Palestinians homes and infrastructure.Racheal Corrie an american peace activist was killed by Israeli caterpillar bulldozer.Her parent filled a law suit against CAT on march 15 this year.I was lucky to attend a lecture by Rachel Corrie sister.The above writer is right, there was no such thing an Arab terrorist until Israel stole palestine.

[BOB]

*Diamante*,

that was beautiful my sister, thanks for sharing with us.

 

Peace, Love & Unity.