اسمهان Asmahan

اسمهان

when I'm with you in the bayader                              parts of me fall off

your body is so tender that I'm afraid                          to touch you – lest

you diminish in                                                           beauty and – Asmahan

when you take the veil off your hair                            for me – I am. I become.

and I lust to cover my                                                 body with

your hair                                                                     – to feel its silky smoothness

I crave to worship –                                                     you.

kneel down and –                                                       pray your love into me.

to lose my self and find my self –                                 inside you.

terrified you will – one day –                                       dissolve between my arms

intoxicated by the letters of –                                       your name in my blood.

and one day I will                                                        turn to the ashes of your name.

(c) khulud khamis, forthcoming in Spinifex press.

her voice

He asked her what is the color of – 
her voice.

and the story of what season does it
tell.

What does it smell like.
What does it taste like.

***

And she replied
It's the color of fire
telling the story of winter
smells like rain
tastes like the brown earth

***

(1)
أسمك إمرأة
صوتك صوت المطر
رائحتك النسيم
مشيتك الزمن
سائلة بدمي
دائماً وأبداً


(2)
طيري قريباً للشمس
فإن ﻻ تحترقي
لم تعيشي!
إحترقي
عيشي

(c) khulud khamis, Haifa 2013

Learning to Fly

Where is this – 
Hatred coming from
Like fire
Unleashed.

Hatred?
Or – 
Envy!

Is it because –
She was made of you.
But dared to reach up
For the branches
And then learned to –
Fly?

While you kept your wings
Tucked underneath
The whole life through.

Only because
You feared
Falling down

Or –
Was your fear greater
That of succeeding to –
fly?

(c) khulud khamis, 2013

CONTEXT

some political thoughts on the context within which we live:

Palestinians constitute a national minority living within the green line, and ever since the Nakba in 1948, they have had ambiguous relations with the state. On the one hand, we are legally full citizens of the state. On the other hand, we are continuously discriminated against through systemic policies and racist legislations. There is clear discrimination in allocations of resources in all fields - education, health, land, infrastructures, public transport, etc. Not only that, but due to this systemic discrimination, our accessibility to resources such as education, housing, employment, social services, health services, economic opportunities and more are very limited.

Alongside these practices, there are dangerous political processes happening which threaten our collective national identity. The state makes great and strategic efforts to deconstruct our identity and sense of belonging through various means, such as restricting our right to commemorate the Nakba, through school curricula, trying to recruit our youth to the National Civic Service, legislation proposals to give those who did National Civic Service extra rights and incentives in different fields, and more. Furthermore, our freedom of expression is restricted, thus reducing our public, political, social and democratic spaces, and many social change leaders and activists are politically persecuted.

The abovementioned factors constitute only a partial background to our complex reality, which affects the abilities of Palestinian social change organizations to act and effect genuine and sustainable social change in our community. More specifically, this reality has unique effects on our youth which, combined with our still traditional and patriarchal society, poses great challenges on their sound development.

The education system, school curricula, and contents taught are controlled by the state, thereby restricting the development of a Palestinian identity among our youth. Furthermore, the education system today does not provide youth with tool for critical thinking. Political, social and economic issues are ignored, and contexts relevant to youth's lives are not dealt with at all. When they finish high school, there is almost no guidance regarding higher education options, how to choose the right profession according to interests, tools on integration into higher education, etc.

Another issue affecting our youth is the geographic fragmentation. The more than 1.5 million Palestinians living within the green line are geographically fragmented, with three major concentrations of communities: in the Galilee (North), Triangle (Center) and the Naqab (South). Many youth, who live in geographic and socio-economic peripheries (e.g. unrecognized Bedouin villages in the South or from remote villages in the Galilee), do not have the opportunity to meet other youth from other parts of the Palestinian community. This reality affects their ability to develop solidarity across all segments of Palestinian society; solidarity that is larger than their own small local circle, which is necessary if we wish to build a strong and resilient society that is united, has a strong sense of belonging and reciprocal social responsibility.

fragmented Haifa poetry no. 4 - June 2013

fragmented - 1 

My Haifa 
* stairs * scorching sun * racism * sound of waves at night * destruction * colors * mountain * languages * immigrants * topography * marginalization * gardens * hatred * rain * co-existence / non-existence * sound of planes * train * LGBTQI * friends * trees * prostitution * fires in the Carmel * discrimination * poetry * religion * my favorite trumpet player at the corner * so many churches * poverty * music * Carmelit * collision * 

***

fragmented - 2
the words are bubbling under my skin.
break through, burst out - 
onto the page.

***

fragmented - 3

just drag me from the outside in.
beyond the -
within.

*** 

fragmented - 4

Copy this – 
Body.
With all its wrinkles and comforts
All imperfections 
But also
The perfections.

(c) khulud khamis, 2013