Words for Thought

Three Poems for Gaza

July 29, 2014
by Nathalie Handal

Gaza

Once in a tiny strip
dark holes swallowed hearts
and one child told another
withdraw your breath
whenever the night wind
is no longer a land of dreams

 

The Gazans

I died before I lived
I lived once in a grave
now I’m told it’s not big enough
to hold all of my deaths

  

Tiny Feet 

A mother looks at another—
a sea of small bodies
burnt or decapitated
around them—
and asks,
How do we mourn this?

Poetry
Palestine
Gaza
Photography

Nathalie Handal was raised in Latin America, France, and the Arab world. Described by Yusef Kumunyakaa “as one of the most important voices of her generation,” her most recent books include the critically acclaimed Poet in Andalucía and Love and Strange Horses, winner of the Gold Medal Independent Publisher Book Award.