Belated In Memoriam for Mahmoud Darwish

I wasn't going to write anything to mark the passing of yet another great Palestinian thinker..how could I put into words the enormity of his passing? I keep coming back to it though, his poetry being such a regular part of my life. Aside from his story being such a quintessential Palestinian story- moving from country to country, constantly having to defend his identity- his words held such power, I can't imagine what a future without his honest commentary will be like. He had the ability to cut to the heart- to distill into words the pure anger of living with injustice or verses of such delicate beauty they take my breath away.
I've posted his words on this blog before- infact the post that is looked at most often is one of his poems- Lessons from the Karma Sutra. I'm pretty sure that browsers aren't expecting a piece of poetry when they navigate to that post- I like to think i'm introducing a few more people to the genius that is Darwish.

Ummi (My Mother) By Mahmoud Darwish

I long for my mother's bread

My mother's coffee

Her touch

Childhood memories grow up in me

Day after day

I must be worth my life

At the hour of my death

Worth the tears of my mother

And if I come back one day

Take me as a veil to your eyelashes

Cover my bones with the grass

Blessed by your footsteps

Bind us together

with a lock of your hair

With a thread that trails from the back of your

dress

I might become immortal

Become a god

If I touch the depths of your heart

If I come back

Use me as wood to feed your fire

As the clothesline on the roof of your house

Without your blessing

I am too weak to stand

I am old

Give me back the star maps of childhood

So that I

Along with the swallows

Can chart the path

Back to your waiting nest

Lazy Blogger

It's aaaages since i last posted. In fact i've moved house TWICE in the meantime. I could ramble on about how stressful it all was but as, overall, the move has been a success and has resulted in general feelings of contentment, I won't.
Instead, i'll be a lazy blogger and post a list:

10 Things That Are on My Mind

1. Free Gaza broke the shameful blockade and reached Gaza, Huuuraaay!
2. One of the boats is attempting to leave Gaza tomorrow with several Gazan University students on board- I pray they manage to leave Gaza as safely as they arrived.
3. The Banana, walnut and date bread in the oven smells truely amazing.
3a. I forgot to put the dates in.
4. Work work work. In a good way.
5. I wonder what's in the box my mum and dad brought over for me today? I can't open it for another 20 days.
6. Will my new colleagues think i'm wierd if i decide to fast with them even though I'm not muslim?
7. Will family X from Algeria win thier asylum appeal? What will we all do if they don't?
8. I've started knitting a cardigan even though I'd decided to knit only small things, but the wool was a bargain so.....
9. Will it ever stop raining? Will my Lobelia survive the high winds? (This might count as two).
10. I want to go to Palestine for the olive harvest- www.palsolidarity.org - but can't take the time off work (as I've only just started). This will be the first harvest i've missed in 5 years. I miss the smell of Beit Lahem, the sounds of Al Quds, the welcome of Nablus and the mountains around Al Walajeh.