We Will Resist

A poem by Jess Semaan

We will resist. I insist.

We will resist

The killers of the flower blooms

The hunters of the flying doves

The thieves of childhood

The bullies of Tel Aviv

We will resist

Till our last breath

We will lose our jobs

Whoever we thought were friends will wither

We will write poems, papers, studies, research

We will tell our people’s stories in all its details

We will resist

We will simplify our lives, we will question greed

We will pray for strength when the despair is near

We will speak truth to power

We will speak truth as our mother tongue

We will be cancelled

We will be ghosted

We will be insulted

But we will never feel shame

We will risk it all

For our kin

We feel proud

And we will resist

I insist.