Yahia Lababidi is an Arab-American writer of Palestinian background. He is the author of 11 books of poetry and prose, including most recently Quarantine Notes, short meditations composed during the Covid-19 pandemic. His new collection of poetry, Palestine Wail, is available from Daraja Press.
Waking Nightmares
How is it that
life carries on,
as they cry for us,
from under the rubble?
While doctors amputate
limbs without anesthesia,
how did we staunch the wounds
of our own throbbing hearts?
The watermelons are rotten
— cut open and bone dry —
from bleeding in the streets
Watered tears, I shudder to imagine
the future of these sad seeds,
what terrible fruit will grow…
Overwhelming Emotion
Why do we open our mouth
when in shock or struck
by unbearable grief?
Why do we cover our lips
with our hand, in pity
or in great sorrow?
What are we preventing
from getting in or out—
other than useless words?
