A poem by Jess Semaan
Israel strikes an ambulance
But the healer wants to debate
About the accuracy of a border
About a date
About a book reference
The healer wants peace
I wonder where has he known peace
Amongst the bodies of helpless, frail citizens
Barely breathing
Under the tunnel of his city
He looks away
But is he at peace
He wakes up at 6 AM to meditate
Is he at peace
What thoughts roam through his head?
Is he hard on himself?
Is he lonely?
I read about Attiya
He was a November Scorpio
On his 14th birthday, he was shot by a sniper
Unarmed, he was unarmed
He was paralyzed
He did not die
That day
He was killed
Yesterday
In an airstrike
The killers have no names
Attiya died the second time
Did the healer know how people die in Ghaza
Attiya wanted his best friend to visit
Attiya wanted his mother not to worry
Was Attiya at peace?
Who will remember the chuckle in his laugh
The color of his eyes when they are touched by the sun
The healer wakes up at 6 AM
Burns sage
Is he at peace?
I have never known peace in the United States
Last week a mass shooting
Tomorrow insurance won’t cover your hysterectomy
The other day I paid taxes to fund a genocide
Did the healer ever need
A visa to a country?
The healer says he is doing God’s work
Perhaps God doesn’t want his work
God wants a ceasefire
God wants him to know there is never peace where there is theft
There will never be peace for Attiya’s mother
Israel strikes a hospital