By Basman Derawi
I stand at my window.
The weather is cold
But I still stand,
Watching the empty streets
Running from the death demons
Whispering in my ears.
I am singing to god,
“Walk me home in the dead of
Night. I can’t be alone with all that’s
In my mind. Say you’ll stay with me
Tonight, cause there’s so much wrong
Going on outside.”
I stop counting,
But the news pop in my face,
The rate of positive cases rapidly increase,
The number of people died,
Yet the time walks slowly over my skin
Like a turtle walks on an old muddy road.
I still singing,
Try to keep my own voice in my ears,
Yet I hear the crying of the empty streets
the whispers of death demons getting louder,
“We are coming to eat you”
I am still standing,
Singing to god,
Singing louder and louder
To keep my own voice in my ears.
Basman Derawi is Palestinian poet and writer. He lives in Gaza. He is a physiotherapist for the Ministry of Health in Gaza. He also writes for https://wearenotnumbers.org/ and as a columnist for https://vivamost.com/
Love this!
Thank you, Cheryl! I appreciate it.
Loved your poem, Basman. Please keep singing and stay safe, Miriam Ben-Yoseph
Thank you, Miriam! I loved your poem too.
I like this Basman. Some lines I wish I’d written!
Thank you!