A sad but defiant poem

Like al-Khansa', the legendary Arab poetess in the 7th century, the following poem by Ghada Kanafani expresses not only sadness but also a spirit of defiance.

Ponder on these words:

I was a 128,000
dead Iraqi civilians.
And he was…..

But who cares,
my 128,000 were overlooked.
A tiny mistake,
a slip of a mind.

A slip of millions of minds.

I wanted to yell out their names:
Fatima, Mohammad, Zeinab, Ali, Afaf, Sami, Hoda, Salem, Lana, …..
I wanted their presence too,
but no one cared,
not even a tear.


Read this poignant poem and reflect !
ما أحلاكِ يا أم أروى

UPDATE Video clip from the American Friends Service Committee

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