68 candles !

By Saed J. Abu-Hijleh

Sixty eight candles shall be lit
A new dress shall fit
An embroidered soul shall say it all
From eternity till present time…

Mama the first word I said
Mama the last word I shall say
Before I travel away
To meet her
On the other side of this great divide
Between dream and reality…

Who said the bullets were real
Or the wounds that you feel
Or the jokes and laughter
After a Friday meal
In the springtime
Of Nablus?

Who said we had birthdays
And lit candles
And sang "saneh hilwah ya gameel"
In Egyptian accent
And with One breath put them off
With tears on our cheeks
And smiles in our hearts

It was all dreams
Or so it seems
And the only thing real
Is what you do not want to feel!

I want to be the bridge
To connect this unbearable wedge
So you can caress my head again
And save me from becoming insane
Your name is my mantra of redemption:
Mama Mama Mama Mama Mama Mama Mama


On the occasion of the 68th birthday of Martyr Shaden Abed Al Qader Al Saleh Abu-Hijleh who was assassinated by Israeli Death Squads on Oct. 11, 2002.