{"id":11276,"date":"2015-10-16T09:02:34","date_gmt":"2015-10-16T09:02:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:#clients.elainemichele.com\/SPC2022\/?p=11276"},"modified":"2022-11-12T08:28:13","modified_gmt":"2022-11-12T13:28:13","slug":"a_letter_1276","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/clients.elainemichele.com\/SPC2022\/articles\/a_letter_1276\/","title":{"rendered":"A Letter"},"content":{"rendered":"
A Letter<\/div>\n
Remi Kanazi<\/div>\n
I\u2019m writing this letter<\/div>\n
to tell you that<\/div>\n
I can\u2019t talk to you anymore<\/div>\n
not in the way you want me to<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
we used to be partners in thought<\/div>\n
hands outstretched<\/div>\n
drinks thrown back<\/div>\n
two peas in a pragmatic pod<\/div>\n
if only others<\/div>\n
could see the way we did<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
but now your face<\/div>\n
contracts in grimaces<\/div>\n
words you can\u2019t bear to hear<\/div>\n
lines that shouldn\u2019t be crossed<\/div>\n
too harsh for your parents<\/div>\n
too normal for mine<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I sounded like a bitter refugee<\/div>\n
pined on Yaffa<\/div>\n
emotions of my grandmother<\/div>\n
talked of return and immediate action<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I crushed our dream<\/div>\n
with rocks of reality<\/div>\n
a wounded dove<\/div>\n
who could no longer swallow hypotheticals<\/div>\n
when teardrops flooded Gaza like tsunamis<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I read so much Chomsky<\/div>\n
I didn\u2019t want to return<\/div>\n
re-examined my identity<\/div>\n
after Said\u2019s The Question of Palestine<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
finally recognized that<\/div>\n
I didn\u2019t have to read a book<\/div>\n
to be a humanist<\/div>\n
Desmond Tutu, Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks<\/div>\n
showed me the Right of Return through action<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
when I spoke of boycott<\/div>\n
you dangled anti-Semitism<\/div>\n
over my head like blackmail<\/div>\n
and how could I shut down<\/div>\n
my art to dialogue?<\/div>\n
when I created art<\/div>\n
to start dialogue<\/div>\n
but Zinn told me<\/div>\n
you can\u2019t be neutral on a moving train<\/div>\n
King proclaimed<\/div>\n
freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor<\/div>\n
it must be demanded by the oppressed<\/div>\n
and Adrienne Rich burned into my memory<\/div>\n
the moment of change is the only poem<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
when I said we needed to act<\/div>\n
you told me to write more poetry<\/div>\n
when I said I wanted my poetry to bring action<\/div>\n
you told me that my poetry was action<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
but I come from a family of privilege<\/div>\n
a sector of society<\/div>\n
that never puts its hand out<\/div>\n
and writes policy for the have-nots<\/div>\n
I tried to win hearts and minds<\/div>\n
but found the keys to their hearts<\/div>\n
were in their hands<\/div>\n
opening doors to houses<\/div>\n
they still carry deeds for in Akka<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I\u2019m writing you this letter<\/div>\n
to tell you<\/div>\n
I can\u2019t talk to you anymore<\/div>\n
not in the way you want me to<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
but if one day<\/div>\n
you want to meet again as equals<\/div>\n
I\u2019d be more than happy<\/div>\n
to show you why old men<\/div>\n
devastate backs and break bones<\/div>\n
to harvest their land<\/div>\n
a Mediterranean sunset<\/div>\n
so magnificent<\/div>\n
not even a settler\u2019s highest<\/div>\n
hilltop could imagine its beauty<\/div>\n
I can show you<\/div>\n
perfection in bruised knees<\/div>\n
the soft side of callused palms<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I can\u2019t show you<\/div>\n
in the way that you want me to<\/div>\n
I can only show it to you<\/div>\n
in the way<\/div>\n
that it exists<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

I\u2019m writing this letter<\/span><\/p>\n

to tell you that<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t talk to you anymore<\/p>\n

not in the way you want me to<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

we used to be partners in thought<\/p>\n

hands outstretched<\/p>\n

drinks thrown back<\/p>\n

two peas in a pragmatic pod<\/p>\n

if only others<\/p>\n

could see the way we did<\/p>\n

but now your face<\/p>\n

contracts in grimaces<\/p>\n

words you can\u2019t bear to hear<\/p>\n

lines that shouldn\u2019t be crossed<\/p>\n

too harsh for your parents<\/p>\n

too normal for mine<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

I sounded like a bitter refugee<\/p>\n

pined on Yaffa<\/p>\n

emotions of my grandmother<\/p>\n

talked of return and immediate action<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I crushed our dream<\/p>\n

with rocks of reality<\/p>\n

a wounded dove<\/p>\n

who could no longer swallow hypotheticals<\/p>\n

when teardrops flooded Gaza like tsunamis<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I read so much Chomsky<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t want to return<\/p>\n

re-examined my identity<\/p>\n

after Said\u2019s The Question of Palestine<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

finally recognized that<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t have to read a book<\/p>\n

to be a humanist<\/p>\n

Desmond Tutu, Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks<\/p>\n

showed me the Right of Return through action<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

when I spoke of boycott<\/p>\n

you dangled anti-Semitism<\/p>\n

over my head like blackmail<\/p>\n

and how could I shut down<\/p>\n

my art to dialogue?<\/p>\n

when I created art<\/p>\n

to start dialogue<\/p>\n

but Zinn told me<\/p>\n

you can\u2019t be neutral on a moving train<\/p>\n

King proclaimed<\/p>\n

freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor<\/p>\n

it must be demanded by the oppressed<\/p>\n

and Adrienne Rich burned into my memory<\/p>\n

the moment of change is the only poem<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

when I said we needed to act<\/p>\n

you told me to write more poetry<\/p>\n

when I said I wanted my poetry to bring action<\/p>\n

you told me that my poetry was action<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

but I come from a family of privilege<\/p>\n

a sector of society<\/p>\n

that never puts its hand out<\/p>\n

and writes policy for the have-nots<\/p>\n

I tried to win hearts and minds<\/p>\n

but found the keys to their hearts<\/p>\n

were in their hands<\/p>\n

opening doors to houses<\/p>\n

they still carry deeds for in Akka<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I\u2019m writing you this letter<\/p>\n

to tell you<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t talk to you anymore<\/p>\n

not in the way you want me to<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

but if one day<\/p>\n

you want to meet again as equals<\/p>\n

I\u2019d be more than happy<\/p>\n

to show you why old men<\/p>\n

devastate backs and break bones<\/p>\n

to harvest their land<\/p>\n

a Mediterranean sunset<\/p>\n

so magnificent<\/p>\n

not even a settler\u2019s highest<\/p>\n

hilltop could imagine its beauty<\/p>\n

I can show you<\/p>\n

perfection in bruised knees<\/p>\n

the soft side of callused palms<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I can\u2019t show you<\/p>\n

in the way that you want me to<\/p>\n

I can only show it to you<\/p>\n

in the way<\/p>\n

that it exists<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Remi Kanazi, a Palestinian spoken word
\nartist, will speak and perform at the
\nPeace Council\u2019s 79th Birthday Dinner
\non Saturday, October 3 (see page 3).
\nPhoto: www.poeticinjustice.net<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Letter Remi Kanazi I\u2019m writing this letter to tell you that I can\u2019t talk to you anymore not in the way you want me to we used to be partners in thought hands outstretched drinks thrown back two peas in a pragmatic pod if only others could see the…<\/p>\n

Learn More<\/span><\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-11276","articles","type-articles","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clients.elainemichele.com\/SPC2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/11276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clients.elainemichele.com\/SPC2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clients.elainemichele.com\/SPC2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clients.elainemichele.com\/SPC2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}