A Song Of Love In Gaza 2012 Poem by David Clinch
A Song Of Love In Gaza 2012
And the love of Mohammed and Isra
Is the love that cannot die.
It's a song that was written in Gaza
It's the love that will always survive.
In the war that came to Gaza
Back in the New Year of pain,
Mohammed told Isra he loved her
Beneath that terrible rain.
The city of Gaza was burning
But their messages of love came right through.
'How are you? ' 'I'm ok. How are you? I love you.'
'And I love you, I love you, I love you.'
And the love of Mohammed and Isra
Is the love that cannot die.
It's a song that was written in Gaza
It's the love that will always survive.
Now in this month of November
Like Herod's war on the child,
Isra and Mohammed live in a nightmare,
Their love song is buried inside.
But from darkness it will be nurtured
To return like a bird at sunrise.
Isra is singing their song of love again
With Mohammed (and Yusef) by her side.
And the love of Mohammed and Isra
Is the love that cannot die.
It's a song that was written in Gaza
It's the love that will always survive.
It's the love that will always survive.
I've spoken to my dear friends Mohammed Soliman and Isra Badwan in Gaza tonight and they have allowed me to post their song of love, which I wrote today, on the computer of more great friends, Erella and Dani Dunayevsky, at Kibbutz Shoval, just 25km from Gaza.
I learned about Isra and Mohammed some months ago when a mutual friend in Gaza, Jehad Saftawy introduced me on Skype. I was deeply moved by their story. I tried to capture in the song what Mohammed told me about how they were phone messaging each other to see they were both ok when so called 'Operation Cast Lead' happened in 2008/9. He said that in the first minute of 2009 he said to Isra that he loved her. In the first minute of 2012 he proposed to her. They married a few months ago.
The suffered so much then and now again during this latest barbaric attack by the Zionist state of Israel. In one of her texts to me this week Isra said they were in a nightmare. She was so frightened that she lost her voice and said she would never be able to sing again.
Earlier in the week Isra and Mohammed came to a decision that they would not be able to fulfil their dream of having a family, as they could not bring a child into the hell of Gaza.
I tried, along with others who have contacted them to offer hope. I do believe that Isra will find her voice again and that they will have the children they want so much
Isra said tonight that she hoped we would be able to sing and play music together. What a joy that will be. I wanted it to be a song of love and hope.
Postscript: Isra and Mohammed had a child Yusef (Little Joe) in April 2014. Sadly he has been subjected to the 51day attack on Gaza by Israel. I only hope that he will have no memory of what has happened.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/24/2024 3:44:59 AM # 1.0.0.1119
Mr Clinch this is a beautiful poem. The very title seems like dramatic irony, but one has to recognise that love can prevail from dark places and scary corners. I like the concept of love coming from Gaza because we all know the conditions under which the people of Gaza live. Love in Gaza would sem like a secondary or even tertiary need because the need for survival is so very important. I love how you contrast the scenes in gaza with the persevering quality of love eg: Mohammed told Isra he loved her Beneath that terrible rain. A very good poem :)