Under the yoke of our mornings
the sun crumbles
and in the darkness of our steps
our panting breath is on fire
...
He bequeathed his soul…to horses' foreheads
His feet…to a dance that makes the earth want to
Be green
...
Who loves the winter as you do?
And is fascinated by trees that resist the wind as you do?
And who like you perfects life
...
Away from the flowerpots
and the scissors of the housewives
in the graveyards the rose bushes whisper:
...
Ibrahim Nasrallah (Arabic: إبراهيم نصرالله; born 1954 in Amman, Jordan, in Wihdat refugee camp) is a Jordanian-Palestinian poet, novelist, professor, painter and photographer. He studied in the UN agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) schools and at the UNRWA Teacher Training College in Amman. He taught in Saudi Arabia for 2 years in the Al Qunfudhah region and worked as a journalist between 1978 and 1996. Nasrallah then returned to Jordan and worked at Dostur, Afaq and Hasad newspapers. He is in charge of cultural activities at Darat-al-Funun in Amman. He has published 14 books of poetry, 13 novels and two children's books. In 2009 his novel The Time of White Horses was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. Nasrallah is a member of the Sakakini General Assembly. In 2006, Ibrahim Nasrallah decided to dedicate himself fully to his writing profession.)
Homeland
Under the yoke of our mornings
the sun crumbles
and in the darkness of our steps
our panting breath is on fire
these incomplete homelands
in which we we appear to be
nothing more than prisoners of war