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‘The Olive Tree’: Poem In Honour Of Palestinian Children And Hope

No matter where the borders on this earth are drawn and redrawn by pre-colonials, colonials, and post-colonials, our Earth will always grow Palestinian trees, Palestinian children, and Palestinian hope, writes Ghia Haddad.

Fifteen years ago, I bought an olive tree sapling at a fundraiser. The small plants were carefully transported from Palestine and one found its way into our backyard. I remember planting it while my three children were playing around me. Little did I know that, like them, the tree would not only thrive, but it would also grow to become a notable presence in our garden and our lives — a daily testament to resilience. Let’s all of us remember this: no matter where the borders on this earth are drawn and redrawn by pre-colonials, colonials, and post-colonials, our Earth will always grow Palestinian trees, Palestinian children, and Palestinian hope.  

This poem is written in honour of all of them. 

The Olive Tree

Negative space 
White between the branches of olive 
Looking up, I count the spiky leaves  
Drawing pictures in the sky 
Pockets of air in barbed wire 
Faces and places peeking  
Behind shards of military green 

A coincidence?  
This fateful colour for a tree 
Caught in crossfire? 
Or was it created to endure? 
To recount the lives of people 
Who refuse to stop breathing? 

I am grateful for this seed 
This sapling that found me  
I wonder what checkpoints it crossed 
What paths brought it here 
To help me remember  
The age of my children 
And the stories of others’  

(Ghia Haddad lives in Dubai. She can be reached at her website https://www.ghiahaddad.com/ and on Instagram at @ghia_artdesign.)

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