When I was seven, Jesus cried...

Followers of Christ, people of the west, cheered .. rejoiced... hurray... to a cheap victory, while Jesus was weeping... crying out loud.

Nahida Izzat

(LONDON) - When I was seven, Jesus cried…

When I was seven
I was living
In a beautiful village
North of Jerusalem
Near the heart of Palestine

I used to play
Where Jesus used to pray
I ran up the hills
Where he used to walk
Listening through the wind
To the echo of his talk
“Oh, children of God,
Love one another”

A man of Palestine
Gentle, kind, and giving
A true prince of peace
Ever so loving…

Up above my head
White fluffy clouds
Slept all day
On my blue sky’s lap

I used to lie down
Jumping with my soul
Up in to heaven
Weaving with the clouds
Snow white and teddy bears

I’d make up stories
Dressed up as a princess
Dancing with the fairies
Flying on the wings
Of a pure white bird

With a magical brush
That no one could see
I painted the world
With colours of the rainbow

I flew wiping tears away
Of every human face
Putting a big smile
Right in their place

I spoke every language
With no words at all
With all words of love
They answered my call

Every drop of water
Every grain of sand
Every green leaf
Felt God’s loving hand

UNTIL
One summer day
My life was turned
Up-side down

My peaceful world
SUDDENLY .. ran away
Leaving me to drown
Shivering all alone
In the grave-yard of town

THE SIX-DAY WAR
EVER SO CRUEL
The army of Zion
Marched ready to fight
Crushing us with bombs
Proud of all their might

Stealing our country
Was a “God given right”
Killing.. maiming.. destroying
“CHOSEN”, so it’s all right
Bombing peaceful towns

All night and day
Killing young children
So, no longer to play

Tearing clouds apart
Scaring them away
Burning innocent lives
Chasing dreams away

Filled with shame and guilt
Of Hitler’s holocaust

Followers of Christ
People of the west
Cheered .. rejoiced... hurray
To a cheap victory

While Jesus was weeping
Crying out loud
The murder of his children
And the rape of his land
When I was seven
Jesus cried
Ever so hard ! !

Special thanks to Uprooted Palestinians

Nahida Izzat is a Jerusalem-born Palestinian refugee who has lived in exile for over forty two years, after being forced to leave her homeland at the tender age of seven in 1967, during the six-day war. She has a degree in mathematics, but art is one of her favorite pastimes. She loves hand-made things and so makes dolls, cards, and most of her own clothes. She also writes poetry, participates in written dialogues and believes in building bridges, not walls.

She started writing when her friends insisted she should write about her memories, experiences and feelings as a Palestinian.When she did it all came out sounding—she was told—like poetry! So she self-published two books: I Believe in Miracles, and Palestine the True Story.

Her dream is to return back home to a free and liberated Palestine.

If you like poetry and are intrigued by the notion of learning more about Palestine, you can visit Nahida's blog Poetry for Palestine for more of her writings; prose, poems, letters and dialogues.

You can write to Nahida : nahidaexiledpalestinian@gmail.com