they appear down the hill onto his land. Sticks metal pipes M16
no faces just eyes intent piercing the air. He held onto his hoe
the sheep scurry away his feet planted his land like an olive tree
he is no sheep someone’s phone documents the late afternoon
in South Hebron hills and the terror paints the story the colors
red river generations-old
hot sun-bleached grass trampled
. a distant bleat
his arms broken no longer holding the hoe blood on someone’s face
the ambulance parks land uneven tires slashed no help iphones
document dimming lights men writing another chapter the era of
pogroms not Ukraine Hafez Hureini, 52, from the village of At-Tuwani
in South Hebron hills, in detention the rules his attackers are free
broken arms resting on lap
Hafez between guards judge courtroom
dimming hopes orphaned sheep
972mag.com/settler-violence-hafez-hureini/
middleeastmonitor.com/20220921-west-bank-israeli-settlers-form-militia-in-occupied-palestine/
“organized terror” the minister calls it and remains
on the sidelines watching land games in an amphitheater
sun-bleached grass hardened land
bleats baby cries distant and fading
I cry
About the Poem
The poem describes an event that happened a few days ago in the South Hebron Hills in the West Bank-Israel/Palestine. It describes a common injustice that happens in the occupied territory.
About the Author
Michal Rubin is an Israeli living in Columbia, SC. A psychotherapist, a Cantor and a emerging bilingual poet, her poetry and hybrid works appeared in Psychotic Education, The Art and Science of Psychotherapy (Journal of the American Academy of Psychotherapists), Wrath Bearing Tree journal, Rise Up Journal, and Topical Poetry.