As the melody of the soul, poetry resounds with the enduring anguish of Israelis and Palestinians ensnared in an unrelenting cycle of violence.

Amplifying the chorus is this poem, written in Arabic by Palestinian Taha Muhammad Ali, and translated into English by his frequent collaborator and friend, Jewish Israeli Peter Cole. For the translation, simply scroll down if you are on a mobile device.

By Taha Muhammad Ali

Thrombosis in the Veins of Petroleum

When I was a child

I fell into a pit

but didn't die;

I sank in a pond

when I was young,

but did not die;

and now, God help us–

one of my habits is running

into battalions of mines

along the border,

as my songs

and the days of my youth

are dispersed:

here a flower,

there a scream;

and yet,

I do not die!

֊

They butchered me

on the doorstep

like a lamb for the feast –

thrombosis

in the veins of petroleum.

In God's name

they slit my throat

from ear to ear

a thousand times,

and each time

my dripping blood would swing

back and forth

like the feet of a man

hanged from a gallows,

and come to rest,

a large, crimson mallow

blossom –

a beacon

to guide ships

and mark

the site of palaces

and embassies.

֊

And tomorrow,

God help us–

the phone won't ring

in a brothel or castle,

and not in a single Gulf emirate,

except to offer a new prescription

for my extermination.

But...

just as the mallow tells us,

and as the borders know,

I won't die! I will not die!

I'll linger on–a piece of shrapnel

the size of a penknife

lodged in the neck;

I'll remain–

a blood stain

the size of a cloud

on the shirt of this world!

23.XI.1973

The Global Lehrhaus is honored to present "Thrombosis in the Veins of Petroleum," with the generous permission of Copper Canyon Press. We sincerely appreciate their support in sharing this inspiring work with our community.

This poem is featured in So What: New & Selected Poems, 1971-2005 published by Copper Canyon Press in 2008. To explore this literary work and discover more from Copper Canyon Press, please visit their website.

Taha Muhammad Ali

A Palestinian poet and short story writer, Taha Muhammad Ali (1931–2011) hailed from Saffuriya, Galilee. He briefly lived in Lebanon before settling in Nazareth, Israel, where he owned and operated a souvenir shop. Self-taught and inspired by classical Arabic literature, American fiction, and English poetry, Muhammad Ali began writing poems in the 1970s.