Palestine Verses 2016 – 2nd Place: ‘We will be angry’ by John Ling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R77HOWTPzxU

We will be angry
(after Gaza 2014)

Take my land give it a new name
say it was yours before

let me have a small part
call it a “territory”.

I will be angry.

In my territory
let new people come,
your people,
from all over,
let them find my water,
build their houses near it,
siphon it off,
let me have a little bit,
and I will be angry.

Let them make roads
between their settlements
that we cannot use, so
we cannot get to work
without your permission
without documents.

Make us queue for hours,
and we will be angry.

Build your high walls
around our villages
so you cannot see us
but keep watch on us
look down from the hills
plant your cameras and lights,
you will not stop the graffiti
for we will be angry.

Burn our olive groves
spray them with sewage.
Attack our women at night.
Cut off our power supplies.
Deny us cement and bricks.
Blockade our shipping.
Make us pay tolls.
Keep us in poverty,
and we will be angry.

Then  if we protest
spray us with tear gas,
imprison our leaders.
call them terrorists,
refuse to talk with them.
Talk about talks you
know you will never have.
Talk about self defence.
Talk all the usual crap
of those who have power
and will not share it.

And for each little stone
we throw in our anger
you may throw back
a hundred boulders.

Say you are sorry for
civilians you have killed.
Say it cannot be helped,
we brought it on ourselves.

Say you have the right,
you have right on your side.

Now we are both very angry.

And though you may kill me
we will not die, for like you
we share a long memory.

We will continue to be
a thorn in your flesh until
one day you may remember
what it feels like to be persecuted,
to be defiled,
to be trodden underfoot,
to be robbed and displaced,
to lose children, brothers,
sisters, parents, grandparents,
all at once,
all together,
who did you no wrong.

Until one day, one day,
you may remember that
we and you are the same.

We are born, live, and love,
we die, all equal, all one,
here on what remains  of
this earth that we share,
that we share,
with you.