The Relevance Of This New Post Zionism Debate To Me

my mother has always been
plaiting hair de-tangling grape
vines preparing plates of
mahshi between prayers and
sharpening machetes
her breath has always been

ancestry deep rooted in sun
in land she raised
children to songs of war and
kept the rhythm of faith
always on beat

and i have always been

the calamity nightmare come true
problem with no
solution backward dirty other
these are not my words

they have never been

never left been here
standing rush of race in my blood
has quieted to this
stillness and knowing

i have always been
my father always was
refugee nuisance man without
land still is his
survival has always been

and we exist
as reminders museum quality exhibits of
how spirits works through allah through
christ through orisha through jinn

we exist as families who argue women
who sin men who
hurt basic people mere spirits
have always been never
perfect and yes sometimes
brothers cut each other to see
if they still bleed still cry and
yes sisters love each other sometimes
just cause no one else does
ever has

always known different truths like
how the number dead is
always double the official like
daughters were raped in
front of mothers
no matter what else was said

always been
i had almost forgotten
believed the hype
but look
i look into my sister's eyes
hear the way she says
palestine palestinian
and know

this is nothing new
we have always
i have always been
before
and post
zionism.


Suheir Hammad