Intifada

He said

these people should all die
an atomic bomb should drop on Gaza
machine guns are enough for the West Bank
the world has plenty of countries
they can scatter in clumps across each one
they are animals after all
ones with hands and feet

From the debris of a four-story house
spoke a strained voice

even animals recognize the fragrance of their land
are intoxicated by the grass of its pastures
they too have an open door to return to at dusk
their watering hole their Aab-e-Zamzam

there are movements for dog rights
in civilized countries
yet we were human
before you arrived here

It will rain again
and when you are toiling
to keep your gunpowder dry
from this very rubble
sprouts of our life will grow
from sea to sky
our breaths will fill up
our Palestine

Poem by Ashok Kumar Pandey
Translation by Richa Nagar and Medha Muskan