Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Palestinian Women Encounter War

Here's another poem from The Space Between Our Footsteps. A reminder of the small details of war, life, and peace. The small details of living.
And what happens when the domestic encounters the violent.

rice haikus

we are women simple
sugar our morning tea
eat rice at all meals

we of simple land
kept the sugar in one sack
rice in another

lived off the brown earth
gave figs to fidayeen*
olives and almonds

when they raided our homes
they poured sugar into rice
to ruin them both

now we eat sweet rice
with our morning tea eat
meals of resistance

-Suheir Hammad
The daughter of Palestinian refugees, she lived in Beirut during part of the Civil War, then immigrated to New York. She describes her work as "giving voice to those who have been silenced for so long."

*fidayeen:
freedom fighters

Monday, April 21, 2008

A Song for Iraq

"Peace" by Esther Sparks (on the album 'Esther Sparks and the Protesters'): YouTube video.

Challenging. A commentary on the cost, and rhetoric, of war. Listen to the lyrics.

A Song for Palestine

"Try Not to Cry" by Outlandish, with Sami Yusuf (British singer-songwriter born in Iran) and photos of Palestine: YouTube video.