I Am With Terrorism

We are accused of terrorism: if we defended rose and woman and the mighty verse... and the blueness of sky... A dominion... nothing left therein... No water, no air... No tent, no camel, and not even dark Arabica coffee!! We are accused of terrorism: if we defended with guts the hair of Balqis and the lips of Maysun if we defended Hind, and Da`d Lubna and Rabab... and the stream of Kohl coming down from their lashes like the verses of revelation. You will not find with me a secret poem or a secret logos or books I put behind doors. I do not even have one poem walking down the street, wearing veil. We are accused of terrorism: if we wrote about the ruins of a homeland torn, weak... a homeland with no address and an nation with no names     I seek the remnants of a homeland none of its grand poems is left except the bemoans of Khansa. I seek a dominion in whose horizons no freedom can be found red... blue or yellow. A homeland forbidding us from bying a newspaper or listening to the news. A dominion wherein birds are forbidden from chirping. A homeland wherein, out of terror [ru`b], its writers got accustomed to write about nothing. A homeland, in the likeness of poetry in our lands: It is vain talk, no rhythm, imported Ajam, with a crooked face and tongue: No beginning No end No relation with people's worry mother earth and the crisis of man. A dominion... going to peace talks with no honor no shoe. A homeland, men peed in their pans... women are those left to defend honor. Salt in our eyes Salt in our lips Salt in our words Can the self carry such dryness? An inheritance we got from the barren Qahtan? In our nation, no Mu`awiya, and no Abu Sufiyan No one is left to say "NO" and face the quitters they gave up our houses, our bread and our [olive] oil. They transformed our bright history into a mediocre store. In our lives, no poem is left, since we lost our chastity in the bed of the Sultan. They got accustomed to us, the humbled. What is left to man when all that remains is disgrace. I seek in the books of history Ussamah ibn al-Munqith Uqba ibn Nafi` Omar, and Hamzah and Khalid, driving his flocks conquering the Shem. I seek a Mu`tasim Billah Saving women from the cruelty of rape and the fire. I seek latter days men All I can see is frightened cats Scared for their own souls, from the sultanship of mice. Is this an overwhelming national blindness? Are we blind to colors? We are accused of terrorism If we refuse to die with Israel's bulldozers tearing our land tearing our history tearing our Evangelium tearing our Koran tearing the graves of our prophets If this was our sin, then, lo, how beautiful terrorism is? We are accused of terrorism if we refused to be effaced by the hands of the Mogul, Jews and Barbarians if we throw a stone at the glass of the the Security Council after the Ceasar of Ceasars got a hold of it. We are accused of terrorism if we refuse to negociate with the wolf and shake the hand with a whore America Against the cultures of the peoples with no culture Against the civilizations of the civilized with no civilization America a mighty edifice with no walls! We are accused of terrorism: if we refused an era America became the foolish, the rich, the mighty translated, sworn in Hebrew. We are accused of terrorism: if we throw a rose to Jerusalem to al-Khalil to Ghazza to an-Nasirah if we took bread and water to beleaguered Troy. We are accused of terrorism: if we raised our voices against the regionalists of our leaders. All changed their rides: from Unionists to Brokers. If we committed the heinous crime of culture if we revolted against the orders of the grand caliph and the seat of the caliphate If we read jurisprudence or politics If we recalled God and read    verse al-Fat-h [that Chapter of Conquest]. If we listened to the Friday sermon then we are well-established in the art of terrorism We are accused of terrorism if we defended land and the honor of dust if we revolted against the rape of people and our rape if we defended the last palm trees in our desert the last stars in our sky the last syllabi of our names the last milk in our mothers' bosoms if this was our sin how beautiful is terrorism. I am with terrorism if it is able to save me from the immigrants from Russia Romania, Hungaria, and Poland They settled in Palestine set foot on our shoulders to steal the minarets of al-Quds and the door of Aqsa to steal the arabesques and the domes. I am with terrorism if it will free the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, and the virgin, Meriam Betula and the holy city from the ambassadors of death and desolation Yesteryear The nationalist street was fervent like a wild horse. The rivers were abundant with the spirit of youth. But after Olso, we no longer had teeth: we are now a blind and lost people. We are accused of terrorism: if we defended with full-force our poetic heritage our national wall our rosy civilization the culture of flutes in our mountains and the mirrors displaying blackened eyes. We are accused of terrorism: if we defended what we wrote El azure of our sea and the aroma of ink if we defended the freedom of the word and the holiness of books I am with terrorism if it is able to free a people from tyrants and tyranny if it is able to save man from the cruelty of man to return lemon, olive tree, and bird to the South of Lebanon and the smile back to Golan I am with terrorism if it will save me from the Caesar of Yehuda and the Caesar of Rome I am with terrorism as long as this new world order is shared between America and Israel half-half I am with terrorism with all my poetry with all my words and all my teeth as long as this new world is in the hands of a butcher. I am with terrorism if the U.S. Senate enacts judgment decrees reward and punishment I am with Irhab [terrorism] as long this new world order hates the smell of A`rab. I am with terrorism as long as the new world order wants to slaughter my off-spring. and send them to dogs. For all this     I raise my voice high:     I am with terrorism     I am with terrorism     I am with terrorism...