By Francis Oeser
Do we all have a decent roof overhead,
well paid jobs,
food of well being and
the chance of knowledge –
of gaining wisdom, of skills, of articulating dreams—
do we all enjoy the greening earth,
dallying with others for argument and chat,
help with health, diet, family planning and
many sorts of planning,
do we all have this dignity of life
bringing hope, happiness and peace?
Everyone, abide by al-Karamah!
Remember, children’s’ laughter,
bird song, the silence of clouds:
all sacred songs.
Sacred as dignity.
Lasting beyond memory.
Stop animosity.
Dance to world songs.
Become part of the eternity
embracing us, giving us
celestial cities to
build and inhabit.
By all means, call them al-Karamah
and celebrate dignity!
– Francis Oeser is a novelist and a poet. He contributed this poem to PalestineChronicle.com.
Good to see my poem -Thanks!
It needs an introduction reminding us that al-Karamah is the name given by the brave Palsetinians to the tented ‘settlement’ erected to protect Palestinian land and its invasion by brutality, greed and religious intolerance.
The poem is a statement that EVERYONE deserves “dignity” – it’s a basis for happiness and peace.
(PC has been saying that for years, of course!)