Editorial note: This is one of Krayna's submissions to the Virtual Tea House contest "Where's Home?"
In his book, “Poet’s Choice”, Edward Hirsch writes that this poem “should be required reading in Washington.” He imagines Abd El-Hadi as a “holy fool, an innocent dreamer who wouldn’t hurt anyone or anything.” How do you imagine him? His struggle? What qualities does he exude that you might seek to emulate this month?
Photo taken at Beit Jala, West Bank
flickr: Whirlingdervish
From the very first time I read this poem,
I loved the character the poet creates,
Ebd El-Hadi, a fictional character, who
represents real folks – kind, welcoming
and good-hearted, struggling with injustice.
This poet reminds me that unless we are in
relationship, it is all too easy to make enemies
and scapegoats of ordinary people, some of whom
possess uncommon intelligence. Any one who knows
this man would sooner go to his home to share *labneh,
tea, and stories, rather than put him on trial. His endless
kindness, hospitality and generosity move us to reflect
on the expression of these same qualities in our own lives.
As always, I pray this poem inspires each of us
to water seeds of loving-kindness and friendship
in these wild and crazy times.
A deep bow,
Krayna
*Labneh is a kind of cheese made with yogurt.
Abd El-Hadi Fights a Superpower
In his life
he neither wrote nor read.
In his life
he didn’t cut down a single tree,
didn’t slit the throat
of a single calf.
In his life
he did not speak
of the New York Times
behind its back,
didn’t raise
his voice to a soul
except in his saying:
“Come in please,
by God, you can’t refuse.”
Nevertheless –
his case is hopeless,
his situation desperate.
His God-given rights are a grain of salt
tossed in the sea.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury:
about his enemies
my client knows not a thing.
And I can assure you,
were he to encounter
the entire crew
of the aircraft carrier Enterprise,
he’d serve them eggs
and labneh
fresh from the bag.
~ Taha Muhummad Ali, Palestinian Poet
