| We, the Betrayed |
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We, the Betrayed
New York by Cesar Chelala
Yes, you heard me.
For far too long
Palestinians have tasted
the bitterness of betrayal.
Betrayed by leading democracies
that, without our consent,
forced the division of our land,
betrayed by our leaders
whose greed erased their own vows,
betrayed by our brother nations
who left us to live like pariahs
in their own countries,
bereft of basic rights,
betrayed by the media,
which shows children playing ball
among missile-torn buildings –never
The children dismembered among the ruins.
Oppressed by our enemies
–the oppressed have become the oppressors–
who mercilessly wrested our land away,
destroyed our crops and our houses of prayer,
and left us with almost no means of survival
in a conflict that reduces us to beggars
for food, even water,
as also the sun seems soaked in blood.
A punishment of refined cruelty
that destroys our families
–children are never spared–
as if we were despicable beings,
not people born for dignity.
In the meantime,
The drums of war continue roaring,
the drums of peace nearly silenced–
while children flinch, deafened by
the relentless sound of death…
Our branches were broken, yes–
our branches were broken,
but our trunk is vibrant and alive,
ready to survive and to flourish,
in the land that knows our names.
Dr.
Cesar Chelala is a co-winner of an Overseas Press Club of America award
for the best article on human rights. His poems have been published in
Argentina, Australia, India, and the US. |
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