S. Syed Anas

The Buried Voices of Palestine

Neither the sun nor the alarm wakes us up.
However, the sun does rise -
But we are already awake before dawn, 
Startled by the terrifying sounds of bombs

As everyone greets dawn with warm
smiles from their family,
We face the pain -
And hear the cries of our neighbors, 
Our community soaked in sorrow.

There isn't sufficient water in our vessels 
To satisfy even our hunger.
Yet, there is abundant blood
Flowing across our open fields.

Sometimes, our children fill their stomachs
With nothing but green grass,
While others elsewhere
Carelessly throw food in the thrash.

If a person who cannot see is called blind,
And one who cannot hear is deaf -
Then truly, there are billions among the living
Who see nothing and hear nothing.

Some of us have lost our hands,
our legs ,our feet-
But one thing is certain:
We have not lost our hearts.

While Muslims across the world pray
five times a day,
Here in Palestine -
We pray six.

 

Note on the last stanza:
"We pray six" refers to the Janāzah (funeral) prayer in Islam. Janāzah is performed to ask forgiveness for the deceased. In this context, it symbolizes how frequent death has become in Palestine — to the point that Janāzah is prayed almost daily. 

 

S. Syed Anas is a 15 year old poet from Namakkal, Tamil Nadu. He writes poetry that gives voice to those whose stories are too often silenced. His hope is that this poem encourages reflection, compassion, and understanding.