Poetic reflection by Mazin Qumsiyeh 17 October 2021 updated 19 December 2023
Pity the country
Whose citizens do not have time to reading
…specially the
serious reading that can make a difference
Whose population pays taxes to fund wars and oppression
...or who is impoverished but does not challenge its oppressors
Whose leaders care about themselves and not
their people
...and whose populace let them do it
Whose young people do not know the meaning
of hard work in the land
....or who are not given the opportunities due them
Whose middle class has no kindness or empathy
… not even to their neighbors
Whose healthcare system is falling apart
.....while its police
forces are armed
Whose poor are angry but feel helpless to change
...while its rich live in gated communities
Whose elderly and children are not listened to
...while pundits fill the airwaves
Whose education is a regurgitation system
...while critical thought is suppressed
Whose laws equate anti-Zionismn (anti-racism) with anti-semitism
...while suppressing calls for ending genocides and wars
Pity the country
Which produces waste and damages its environment
...and eats junk food packaged in plastics or sprayed with chemicals
Which cares to build houses of worship more than houses of
education
...and ignores the teachings of its prophets
Which does not teach the value of time, the values of
respect (for ourselves, for others, for nature)
...while teaching consumerism and self-centered "me" ideas
Which lives in concrete “jungles” in square rooms
....while not valuing the green earth
Which does not know the taste of real freedom
….Freedom from oppression
….Freedom from guilt
…Freedom from hate
...Freedom from racism
…Freedom from self-pity
…Freedom from powerlessness
Pity the country
That has more cars than bicycles
That is crowded but has so much loneliness
That has more houses than homes
That imports its food, cloths, and tools and uproots more than it plants
That votes for the lesser of two evils
....instead of changing the system and challenging the lobbies
That does not know how generous is its land
….if only it is tended
That has more TV watchers and few bird watchers
That has many talkers and few listeners (to nature) and
doers (of good deeds)
To change our country, we must chose to be different
…to rebel
…to fight
…to work
…to love
…to respect ourselves, others and nature