For Mahmoud Darwish, whispering his soul over Gaza
You were taken by a merciful death, Mahmoud
Lest phosphorous devour your heart
A chorus of stones answered
As the Strip lay awash in wrath
And a swallow looked and wept
As the bricks came unwrapped
And the song of ages drowned
The knocks of unmanned flight
As a tribe of pigeons cooed
The sleep of a lone baby
Through the night
And the ghosts of the olive groves
Bereft of poet
Sang the Buraq back to life.
January 2009