We are accused of terrorism
if we defended with guts
the hair of Balqis
and the lips of Maysun
if we defended Hind, and Da`d
Lubna and Rabab ..
and the stream of Kohl
***
Salt in our eyes
Salt in our lips
Salt in our words
Can the self carry such dryness?
***
We are accused of terrorism
If we refuse to die
with Israel's bulldozers
tearing our land
tearing our history
tearing our Evangelium
tearing our Koran
tearing the graves of our prophets
If this was our sin,
then, lo, how beautiful terrorism is?
***
We are accused of terrorism
if we refuse to negotiate with the wolf
and shake the hand with a whore
****
We are accused of terrorism
if we defended land
and the honor of dust
if we revolted against the rape of people
and our rape
if we defended the last palm trees in our desert
the last stars in our sky
the last syllabi of our names
the last milk in our mothers' bosoms
if this was our sin
how beautiful is terrorism.
***
I am with terrorism
as long as this new world order
is shared
between America and Israel
half-half
***
I am with terrorism
with all my poetry
with all my words
and all my teeth
as long as this new world
is in the hands of a butcher.
***
Nizar Qabbani
London, 15 April 1997
