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