Somewhere in paradise,
Edward Said is saying to Mahmoud Darwish
(heavy with pride):
See the students, I told you before
Thank God for the students.
In another corner in paradise,
Eman sits with her family.
Eliaa comes running, pointing far away at earth;
Mama! Mama!
See our names on the sign they are holding!
Their father Tayseer says,
I heard the angels today talking about the protesting,
the American students protesting against genocide,
protesting for a free Palestine.
Mohaymen comments,
But there are police at the protests,
with batons and pepper spray and guns!
Mohab, his oldest brother, asks,
But they protest peacefully against genocide!
On earth,
a young man lying in a tent
reaches for his cellphone.
He watches the protesters around the world
chanting, “Free, Free Palestine.’’
He feels his heart again,
which has been cold for many months.
It is beating fast; down his spine, the electrical waves accumulate.
He sinks into a feeling he had never experienced before,
like he was ascending into paradise.
He mumbles, Is that hope?
A near explosion steal the moment.
