We, the Palestinians in Diaspora, wait desperately
We wait for bits and pieces of news
Of our people, our relatives, our land.
CNN broadcasts a few pictures of dismembered limbs
Of children crying, of an old bloodied woman
Lifted onto a stretcher. We hear sirens
We see bombed buildings and people running.
We are told as we clutch our TV screens
That this new attack on the Palestinians
Is the price to pay for a single rocket
Landing in the dirt of a new Israeli settlement
Built on our confiscated land.
CNN labels defenseless Palestinians as terrorists
Neglecting to mention that the real terror
Is the F-16s dropping bombs on Palestinian civilians.
We, the Palestinians in the Diaspora, try to comprehend
How Israelis equate justice and why the world is silent
As the massacre of those locked away in Gaza continues:
The enormous concentration camp turned mass prison
The collective punishment of all simply because
They bear the name of Palestinian.
It is not enough that without provocation
The Israelis steal Palestinian land
Bulldoze our trees, tear down our houses?
Is it not enough that they shut off the water supply?
Is it not enough that Palestinians in Gaza have no food?
They rain terror down on our people by air
By land and by sea and then claim they are the victims.
We, the Palestinians in the Diaspora, wait for news
Of our loved ones, praying for their safety,
Praying for their survival, praying that the silent
Indifferent world will wake up and hear the cries
Of the innocent. We pray that the world will
Demand justice for Palestinians in Gaza.
In our Diaspora, we flick the channels
Hoping to hear more of the plight of Gazans
On other newscasts. Instead we see Oprah
Promoting the cause of homeless dogs
We can’t make sense of it all,
Perhaps we do not understand
A culture where a homeless dog lives
Better and safer than a Palestinian child.