(by Saed J. Abu-Hijleh, Nablus, Palestine, July 15, 2008)
In communion with the One
that created the 100 billion galaxies
containing hundreds of billions of stars;
In the presence of the One that heals
all wounds that turn into scars:
Only He can hear my voice in the place
Where my dreams begin and end,
Where my face is not shown
under embroidered covers
in my sacred bed
in the darkness of moonless nights
before or after the soldiers
enter my neighborhood or the refugee camp
across the hill.
*******
My home is the dream of my Dad,
the place in which I am sane or
when I am mad
without anyone seeing me
except the One that sees all.
My home is Love and the product of Love;
my neighbors are imperfect angels
who care about me
and want me to get married
and settle down
and stop being an international clown.
My home is in fifteenth street
in a city that lies between two mountains
channeling the breeze of the Mediterranean
to eastern dry lands
of prophets and nomads.
My home is under a dome
of mystic words
on the path of Sufi masters
to the land of bliss
where love burns all sins…
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Snapshot!
by Saed J. Abu-Hijleh, Nablus, Palestine, July 14, 2008)
He snapped his fingers and the other one shot,
All of what it is became what is not,
Love became hate, life became death,
As Mother of All let out her last breath…
All of humanity froze,
The "Iron Fist" killed the most beautiful rose…
A surgeon of Ear, Throat, and Nose,
Stood by and watched the love of forty years
End in a river of tears…
+++++++
A shooting star is quite far
Yet it makes the heart move
With hope
With desire…
How can a distant fire
Calm the fire inside?!
How can a single fish bring down the tide?
No where to hide
Time to respond:
Close your eyes
Count to seven
A 'shooting heart'
From earth to heaven.
+++++++
He shook my hand for the first time
Few of his fingers were missing
Compensated by a beautiful smile
The kind that makes you go the extra mile…
A year later his arm was missing
The beautiful smile remained
The more he lost
The more we gained!
Fadi is now all missing
Entered earth on a journey
To the other side
But he left his smile engraved on my mind.......
He snapped his fingers and the other one shot,
All of what it is became what is not,
Love became hate, life became death,
As Mother of All let out her last breath…
All of humanity froze,
The "Iron Fist" killed the most beautiful rose…
A surgeon of Ear, Throat, and Nose,
Stood by and watched the love of forty years
End in a river of tears…
+++++++
A shooting star is quite far
Yet it makes the heart move
With hope
With desire…
How can a distant fire
Calm the fire inside?!
How can a single fish bring down the tide?
No where to hide
Time to respond:
Close your eyes
Count to seven
A 'shooting heart'
From earth to heaven.
+++++++
He shook my hand for the first time
Few of his fingers were missing
Compensated by a beautiful smile
The kind that makes you go the extra mile…
A year later his arm was missing
The beautiful smile remained
The more he lost
The more we gained!
Fadi is now all missing
Entered earth on a journey
To the other side
But he left his smile engraved on my mind.......
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Poetry !
I write to tell my soul that you have the possibility of not being alone. I write to allow my inner voice to come out, so I can see it, touch it, and maybe understand it. I write so as to feel the limits of my being and to see where it intersects with other beings, somewhat like Venn diagrams. I write to allow the air to come in to my hidden wounds to avoid spiritual gangrene. I write to find love; to find my soul mate…
It happened for the first time almost thirty years ago, at the age of 11. I was laying in my bed just about to sleep, and then suddenly sat and received few words. I say 'received' because I am not sure I had total control over the process that brought these words to my tongue and lips:
I will read and dissolve in the meaning of reading,
I will write and dissolve my ideas in the tunes of my poetry,
And I will sing for the joyful nightingale to forget my sorrows…
And I will be happy for death is the wedding of every human being…
It felt good, magical, unexplainable… where exactly did these words come from, and how did they surface or appear suddenly to the realm of consciousness…
Now after so many years, I say that these words were brought to me by the flicker of wings of a mystical butterfly, and my young soul resonated with the waves…
Many things happened since then… and I moved from the land of boyhood to the domain of men… too soon I must add,
And events that occurred almost made me mad…
Three bullets hit me when I was fifteen,
The pain was unbearable,
Difficult for you to know what I mean…
I was tortured on my wounds when I was sixteen,
They whipped me with electrical wiring,
Put me in a room full of sewage,
But I came out clean!
Many things happened since then, in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and in 2010...
The future is already here…
This might sound crazy or queer…
I write to calm my fear
Of history repeating itself,
And that I won't have enough stitches for new wounds,
Or strong legs faster than bullets,
And seconds that last longer than minutes…!
It happened for the first time almost thirty years ago, at the age of 11. I was laying in my bed just about to sleep, and then suddenly sat and received few words. I say 'received' because I am not sure I had total control over the process that brought these words to my tongue and lips:
I will read and dissolve in the meaning of reading,
I will write and dissolve my ideas in the tunes of my poetry,
And I will sing for the joyful nightingale to forget my sorrows…
And I will be happy for death is the wedding of every human being…
It felt good, magical, unexplainable… where exactly did these words come from, and how did they surface or appear suddenly to the realm of consciousness…
Now after so many years, I say that these words were brought to me by the flicker of wings of a mystical butterfly, and my young soul resonated with the waves…
Many things happened since then… and I moved from the land of boyhood to the domain of men… too soon I must add,
And events that occurred almost made me mad…
Three bullets hit me when I was fifteen,
The pain was unbearable,
Difficult for you to know what I mean…
I was tortured on my wounds when I was sixteen,
They whipped me with electrical wiring,
Put me in a room full of sewage,
But I came out clean!
Many things happened since then, in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and in 2010...
The future is already here…
This might sound crazy or queer…
I write to calm my fear
Of history repeating itself,
And that I won't have enough stitches for new wounds,
Or strong legs faster than bullets,
And seconds that last longer than minutes…!
Friday, June 20, 2008
A State of Love
One state, two states, or no state,
Zionism, what a fate...
They caught the bait, and continued the hate,
Can they keep this rate... of ethnic cleansing!
Israel the "Jewish State", 60 years too late...
In the Middle East "the only democracy",
What a hypocrisy!
Can't they see our blood filling the Jordan River?
A wound oozing forever!
A State of Love the only solution,
Yes we say to spiritual cleansing,
No we say to ethnic cleansing,
"All in and no one out" at the top of my lungs I shall shout...
Refugees must come back, a just society with no doubt.
One State, No hate,
A State of Love,
Blessed from the above...
The children dance, happy in a trance,
This is our last chance...
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Be gentle with nature & .......
To write continuously is to live continually... to feel time and space... to wash you face... to look in the mirror... to breathe deeper... to slow down... slow down... slow down... and look up to the night summer sky of Palestine and watch the stars... and think of the vast universe... and put things in perspective... I once told myself (Be gentle with nature, nature will be gentle with you)...
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Sixty Years and Counting!
Commemorating sixty years of the Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe)
By Saed Jamal Abu-Hijleh
May 2008, Nablus, Palestine
Sixty years and counting,
Anger in my being is mounting.
Sixty years and counting,
The child in me is shouting:
I want to run, to fly, to sing, to cry,
To walk, talk, write on the blackboard with a chalk:
"End this bloody occupation..."
Sixty years and counting!
Nablus the city of goodness,
A wounded witness to this “bloody occupation...”
No need for wake up calls,
The tanks come on time,
Go on time,
And leave you no time to plan your time…
But can these tanks kill the thyme… of Ebal and Jirzim?
Kneel to these monsters they tell us everyday,
But only to Allah we kneel when we pray,
Another sixty thousand years will not change what I say.
Tanks do not grow on mountains but olives do.
Tanks do not grow on mountains but Palestinians do.
I am an olive and my blood is oil,
My flesh is this sacred soil,
My breath the wind of the Mediterranean,
My eyes make the sea blue.
Sixty years and the fascist can go to hell,
The mosque will say Allah Akbar,
The Church will ring its bell.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
"Let there be light" for Gaza
(Let there be light) is a phrase that comes from the third verse of the book of Genesis in the King James Bible: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness (From Wikipedia encyclopedia).
** Then Israel was established as the agent of darkness on this earth and as a main patron of evil!
We are the “Warriors of Light” who are fighting against the oppression and the darkness that Israel is trying to impose on Palestine and other areas of the world....
So let there be lightFor GazaIsrael with all of its might
Clamping down on the childrenOf Gaza
Let there be light
At the end of the tunnel
Support and hope
We have to funnel
For Gaza
Garrison of evil Israel is
Prison of Hope Gaza is
For humanity a major quiz
To dismantle the wall of hate
And let the light permeate
The homes and streets of besieged Gaza
Saed J. Abu-Hijleh
Nablus, Occupied Palestine
January 23, 2008
** Then Israel was established as the agent of darkness on this earth and as a main patron of evil!
We are the “Warriors of Light” who are fighting against the oppression and the darkness that Israel is trying to impose on Palestine and other areas of the world....
So let there be lightFor GazaIsrael with all of its might
Clamping down on the childrenOf Gaza
Let there be light
At the end of the tunnel
Support and hope
We have to funnel
For Gaza
Garrison of evil Israel is
Prison of Hope Gaza is
For humanity a major quiz
To dismantle the wall of hate
And let the light permeate
The homes and streets of besieged Gaza
Saed J. Abu-Hijleh
Nablus, Occupied Palestine
January 23, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
Breaking News: Israeli soldiers seriously injure a Palestinian worshiper in Nablus, Friday Jan 4, 2008
Israeli soldiers opened fire on Palestinians on their way to Friday prayer seriously injuring Nablus resident Ahmad Mohammad Abu Hantash in the head. The incident happened at noon as worshipers were heading to Al Shuhada Mosque in the western part of Nablus. As worshipers were entering the mosque an Israeli armored vehicle opened fire hitting Mr. Abu Hantash in the back of his head with three rubber-coated metal bullets causing extensive damage to his brain and neck. He is currently undergoing surgery in Nablus Specialty Hospital located near the mosque in an effort to save his life. Several witnesses say that the shooting was unprovoked and expressed their anger and frustration for the Israeli Army complete disregard to human life and the sanctity of holy places. One of the worshipers who was walking with Mr. Abu Hantash said “I was walking with Ahmad to the mosque and suddenly I heard a gunshot and saw Ahmad fall beside me, I was horrified to see his blood splashing all over the ground, and did not know why the army shot at us, we ducked for cover and when the Israeli jeep left we rushed Ahmad to the nearby Specialty Hospital.”
Ahmad Abu Hantash is a 35-year old Palestinian worker, married with two children, Fadi, 4 years old, and Hadi, three months old.
The Israeli Army has been conducting a major invasion into Nablus since the dawn of Thursday, Jan 3, 2008, and the operation is still ongoing. More than 45 Palestinians have been injured in the past 24 hours, and the Israeli army arrested 20 Palestinians.
Report & Photos by Saed J. Abu-Hijleh
Nablus, Palestine
1:00 pm, Friday, January 04, 2008
Ahmad Abu Hantash is a 35-year old Palestinian worker, married with two children, Fadi, 4 years old, and Hadi, three months old.
The Israeli Army has been conducting a major invasion into Nablus since the dawn of Thursday, Jan 3, 2008, and the operation is still ongoing. More than 45 Palestinians have been injured in the past 24 hours, and the Israeli army arrested 20 Palestinians.
Report & Photos by Saed J. Abu-Hijleh
Nablus, Palestine
1:00 pm, Friday, January 04, 2008
Monday, December 24, 2007
Greetings from the Mountain of Fire (Blessed Eid, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year)!!
Beloved sisters, brothers, family, friends, and colleagues,
May you have a blessed Eid Al Adha, merry Christmas, and a happy New Year...
Be true to the voice that comes from within...
Be Love for Love is the only way
That leads to that place where you do not have to say… a word... to be understood…
That leads to that bed in which you can sleep and dream like a baby… :-)
Be gentle with nature and nature will be gentle with you…
Slow down and feel yourself… do not overwhelm yourself with too many unnecessary inputs… first things first… do not sell the long-term for the short-term… walk with grace…your are the steward of Allah on Earth… join hands and energies with other Lovers that have understood the Way… allow for the synergies of Love to carry us all to the higher consciousness that will allow us to heal the bleeding wounds and the broken hearts…. And smile… let your whole Being smile… and do not underestimate the power of those sweet words you tell to your friends… the Arabs say “The good word comes out and the bad word comes out”…. So make it the good one :-) But if you hear a bad word that hurts you, learn how to forgive…
I pray to Allah almighty to protect you all and to gather us all on the right path… to unite us in the cause of peace…to forsake selfishness and be good to each other…
Our great prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said:
لا يؤمن أحدكم حتى يحب لأخيه ما يحب لنفسه
“None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî]
Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) also said:
“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should say something good or remain silent.”
Allah almighty says in the Quran: “By time! Surely the human being is at loss. Except for those who have faith and do righteous deeds and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to patience.” [Sûrah al-`Asr]
Salaam from a city that lies between two mountains, Ebal and Jerzim…
Salaam from those who are waiting patiently for the dawn…
All the Love,
Your brother,
Saed J. Abu-Hijleh
Nablus, Palestine
May you have a blessed Eid Al Adha, merry Christmas, and a happy New Year...
Be true to the voice that comes from within...
Be Love for Love is the only way
That leads to that place where you do not have to say… a word... to be understood…
That leads to that bed in which you can sleep and dream like a baby… :-)
Be gentle with nature and nature will be gentle with you…
Slow down and feel yourself… do not overwhelm yourself with too many unnecessary inputs… first things first… do not sell the long-term for the short-term… walk with grace…your are the steward of Allah on Earth… join hands and energies with other Lovers that have understood the Way… allow for the synergies of Love to carry us all to the higher consciousness that will allow us to heal the bleeding wounds and the broken hearts…. And smile… let your whole Being smile… and do not underestimate the power of those sweet words you tell to your friends… the Arabs say “The good word comes out and the bad word comes out”…. So make it the good one :-) But if you hear a bad word that hurts you, learn how to forgive…
I pray to Allah almighty to protect you all and to gather us all on the right path… to unite us in the cause of peace…to forsake selfishness and be good to each other…
Our great prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said:
لا يؤمن أحدكم حتى يحب لأخيه ما يحب لنفسه
“None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî]
Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) also said:
“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should say something good or remain silent.”
Allah almighty says in the Quran: “By time! Surely the human being is at loss. Except for those who have faith and do righteous deeds and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to patience.” [Sûrah al-`Asr]
Salaam from a city that lies between two mountains, Ebal and Jerzim…
Salaam from those who are waiting patiently for the dawn…
All the Love,
Your brother,
Saed J. Abu-Hijleh
Nablus, Palestine
Sunday, November 25, 2007
On the road back to the beginning
I am in Amman, Jordan, getting ready to go to Greece to attend an international conference on public administration where I will present a paper entitled "Israeli Territoriality and the Predicament of the Palestinian Public Sector."
InshAllah I will stand on the hill of the Acropolis and look in a southeastern direction towards Palestine, my mother, you, and the wound that is me, my people, and all of humanity.
I will resume being a philosopher in few hours! That is how all philosophers are: they oscillate between being nothing and something, between shallowness and depth, between lust and virtue, between warmth and coldness, between the I and the You.
It is OK, this oscillation will certainly calm down soon. The passing of the torch from one hand to the other will remind me of the origins of fire. That is where my focus must be: the origin of divine energy. So do not leave yourself in the dark, keep searching for the light, but do not lose your grace during the search. Let your passion make you glow like sun rays off white snow.
Cleanse your heart from ill feelings and let love permeate all of its rooms. Write a love poem, it has always proved to be a panacea for deception, dishonesty, and uncertainty. Pray for the healing of your suffering and hers. The Lord of all hears and sees all, and his compassion and forgiveness is larger than all seas and oceans.
So let your body and soul sail through the Aegean sea to Athena. Tell your beloved that you are now Odysseus, and this is the 33th beginning of the Palestinian Odyssey. Pray for my safe return to you my beloved "Ithaca".
InshAllah I will stand on the hill of the Acropolis and look in a southeastern direction towards Palestine, my mother, you, and the wound that is me, my people, and all of humanity.
I will resume being a philosopher in few hours! That is how all philosophers are: they oscillate between being nothing and something, between shallowness and depth, between lust and virtue, between warmth and coldness, between the I and the You.
It is OK, this oscillation will certainly calm down soon. The passing of the torch from one hand to the other will remind me of the origins of fire. That is where my focus must be: the origin of divine energy. So do not leave yourself in the dark, keep searching for the light, but do not lose your grace during the search. Let your passion make you glow like sun rays off white snow.
Cleanse your heart from ill feelings and let love permeate all of its rooms. Write a love poem, it has always proved to be a panacea for deception, dishonesty, and uncertainty. Pray for the healing of your suffering and hers. The Lord of all hears and sees all, and his compassion and forgiveness is larger than all seas and oceans.
So let your body and soul sail through the Aegean sea to Athena. Tell your beloved that you are now Odysseus, and this is the 33th beginning of the Palestinian Odyssey. Pray for my safe return to you my beloved "Ithaca".
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Writing myself to the Universe
After many months of self inhibition, indecisiveness, and procrastination I have started this blog to document myself and share myself with the Universe. I am hoping that my writing will help me organize the flood of thoughts and emotions that are being trapped inside me, which, if not released will continue to cause me unbearable suffering, and might explode, or dissipate, and thus lose immense potential energy that can be utilized in the mitigation of the harsh human conditions in Palestine, and around the world.
So I am writing for me and you. I am writing for all. I am writing for those who listen and those who do not! I am writing for and against! I am writing the last and first! Things I heard, saw, touched, tasted, and smelled; Things that hurt me and things that made me happy; Things that I am hoping for and those that I dread.
I am writing my inner voice. I am writing my inner eye. I am writing things that make me shy. I am writing things that make me proud. I am writing things that others told me, and things others would not tell. I am writing about heaven and hell. I am writing about Palestine; about my city Nablus: sleeping and waking up between two mountains, Ibal and Jirzim.
I am a Spiritual Nomad, the one and only, the legendary Sindbad. I am the Palestinian Superman! I am also the Palestinian Dinosaur fighting hard against physical, spiritual, political, economic, and cultural extinction being imposed on me and my people by the racist and oppressive policies of the state of Israel and Zionism.
So I am writing for me and you. I am writing for all. I am writing for those who listen and those who do not! I am writing for and against! I am writing the last and first! Things I heard, saw, touched, tasted, and smelled; Things that hurt me and things that made me happy; Things that I am hoping for and those that I dread.
I am writing my inner voice. I am writing my inner eye. I am writing things that make me shy. I am writing things that make me proud. I am writing things that others told me, and things others would not tell. I am writing about heaven and hell. I am writing about Palestine; about my city Nablus: sleeping and waking up between two mountains, Ibal and Jirzim.
I am a Spiritual Nomad, the one and only, the legendary Sindbad. I am the Palestinian Superman! I am also the Palestinian Dinosaur fighting hard against physical, spiritual, political, economic, and cultural extinction being imposed on me and my people by the racist and oppressive policies of the state of Israel and Zionism.
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