Beneath the Olive Trees
By - Azraa
Beneath the Olive Trees There was a tent, made of Plastics, fabrics, cardboards Bit and bobs of anything she could find It was her home Beneath the Olive trees She lived With her brothers, and her mother She slept. She ate. She drank. She sat. This was now her life. II Beneath the olive trees, lived her neighbours We were invited once to their humble homes My good friend and I Gave us tea, the best tea I ever had. We ever had. The little girl took the metallic kettle Placed it on the fire, A handful of loose tea leaves Poured in some water and a spice The tea boiled. We drank it. I had two glasses. You know those cute tea-glass cups Yes those!
II
Beneath the Olive trees, we opened our hearts We shared our thoughts, we spoke “We spoke”, I laugh She spoke Amiya, my good friend spoke Arabic a bit, And well I simply, nodded along How is this possible ? We don’t share the same tongue Mother tongue. But we understood one another Yes, we are sisters. Brothers and Sister in Humanity. Put aside Religion for now. Religion is good Don’t misunderstand me. But we are humans. We believe in Humanity! Don’t we? Well, at least that’s what we tell ourselves… So, we spoke and drank tea.
II
Beneath the Olive Trees And it’s striking green leaves And mysterious snakes. Oh that’s what I believed. Lived many children, beautiful children, Shouting mothers and cheeky toddlers Bassam, Roumana, Ahmed, Sanaa, Zayd Malak, Muntasir, Du’a, Mohammed, Mariam… They smiled, they laughed, they cried I remember her, Mariam. One of the little angels, calling my name: “Ya Adhraa2” My not so good memory recalls as I’d walk with my good friend We saw, Abu Mariam, and her uncles work Work hard they did. Cleaning and purifying water. You see, you need to understand. The water you and I took for granted. Take for granted. Let’s not deny it.
II
They lived next to one another. The olive tree and the fig tree Like good neighbours. They were the olive trees, we were the fig trees. We were one though. We are one. Remember what I told you, See, you forgot already … Like a lullaby , we sing: “Me and you.. We are one, we are brother and sister in peace, in Humanity. II I cannot forget, I still remember the feeling I’d sleep in the comfy bed, and big peace house. When they slept under the olive trees Is this fair? I asked myself Of course. Not. But I was grateful, I am grateful For the roof over my head, The bed I slept on, the food I ate And the joyous company.
II
Beneath many Olive Trees, Live thousands and thousands Syrian Refugees Children Refugees, Mother and Father Refugees Forced to become migrants Forced to leave their homes Forever destroyed. They are Our Brothers and Sister in Humanity Some we’ve seen, some we’ve met Many, we are yet to greet. My Brothers and Sister in Humanity I pledge for us to Unite, to fix their broken homes And our broken hearts. Remember we are the Figs, and they are the Olives We live together, we help one another In the Glorious chapter called “The Fig” We are reminded: “…do Righteous deeds and the Reward will be uninterrupted” In this beautiful town, I stayed Surrounded by Olive trees and fig trees And rolling hills I may have left you… But I have memories. ‘The town of peace and olives.’
III