Palestinian am I

No one can take away from me

My identity,

For it is mine.

Palestinian am I.

I am the river that flows

Through my land.

I am the mountain

Noble and magnificent

Rising up out of chaos and destruction.

I greet the morning sun

That shines down on my fertile valleys

And parches my barren desert.

I am the red poppy and yellow daffodil

That grow upon my bloodstained hills.

I am the battle cry of freedom

That echoes through my corridors

And every fiber of my being.

Palestinian am I.

I am the proud owner of

Orange orchards and lemon blossoms

And honey bees, wild and free.

I am the David child wielding a single stone

Against the Israeli Goliath.

I am not afraid,

For truth is with me and God is on my side.

If I die,

A choir of angels will honor me

And later, my parents will grasp my outstretched hand

And join me in Heaven.

I am the tears of

Mothers weeping for their dead sons.

I am the footsteps of ancient prophets

Who foretold of doom and destruction

To those who torture and oppress me.

My brethren are the doves, hummingbirds and seagulls

That fly unhindered above my sea.

I am Palestinian,

Therefore, I am.

No one can take my identity

Away from me,

Not tanks or guns or bombs

Meant to desecrate me and kill me.

My country lives in me.

I am the cry of liberty

No matter what they take from me,

They can’t take away my identity

Or my dignity.

Palestinian am I.

by Edna Yaghi