Palestine gave birth
her pavements smiled with groves of olives and roses
her children were shepherds, farmers, jewelers
she became pregnant with hope
It would be enough for me to die, here, on her soil,
Be buried deep in the earth of my country,
Only to sprout forth again as a bright bloom,
Waved gently by a child who calls this land home.
It would be enough for me to remain home,
Alive,
existing as a trace in her fabric …
So, they targeted her womb
And Death greeted every child she had.
Copyright © 2026 by Ahmad Ibsais. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on May 12, 2026, by the Academy of American Poets.
