 |
| John P. Portelli |
POPPIES
Popies without borders
Unending scarlet
As in Gaza
Where children play
With the blood of the dead
John Portelli
...........
GAZA
the bundled snowy clouds emerged again
like the frigid death of an exile in Gaza
the sacks are overflowing with bones
the snow is light death is heavy
John Portelli
........
A SEA THAT ROARS
a drop in the universe like the granules of
orange sand in Gaza, the horror of the
mighty pretending to be at peace
it roars for the forsaken children
who watch the lonely robin left nibbling
at the corpses of their parents and siblings
they rot away, while Trump and Netanyahu
shake hands on their plan to cover
the horror with a
they falsely promise glorious days for the orphans
who will never give up the vision of their
great-grandparents nakbatised
this heartless plan of the President
will never appease these starving childre
who will never give up hope
they know that from death new life is born
let the sea roar!
John Portelli
......
Queuing in Gaza
Queuing for water
queuing for flour
queuing for a tin of sardines
queuing for an olive
queuing for medicine
queuing for blood
queuing for air
queuing to identify the dead
queuing for death
queuing to be wrapped in a kafan
queuing to be bulldozered to the grave
John Portelli
.......
NAMLESS GAZA
Is this voice that scribbles its heart
on the tears of his friend’s pain
oppressed by the relentless bombs
on a Gaza without any relief
in vain?
may you grow at least one wing
hopeless is the jasmine that attempts to bloom
again in the pot on the depleted balcony
in vain the memory of its sweet odour
all the trees have lost their names
all the birds have lost their chants.
JOHN P. PORTELLI
John P. Portelli is a Professor Emeritus, University of toronto, originally from Malta, and author of 11 collections of poetry, two collections of short stories and a novel. His work in Maltese has been translated into English, French, Italian, Arabic, Farsi, Turkish, Greek, Spanish, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, Serbian and Korean. While he migrated to Canada in 1977 and settled in Montreal, and later in Halifax and Toronto, now he lives between Toronto and Malta.
Popies without borders
Unending scarlet
As in Gaza
Where children play
With the blood of the dead
John Portelli
...........
GAZA
the bundled snowy clouds emerged again
like the frigid death of an exile in Gaza
the sacks are overflowing with bones
the snow is light death is heavy
John Portelli
........
A SEA THAT ROARS
a drop in the universe like the granules of
orange sand in Gaza, the horror of the
mighty pretending to be at peace
it roars for the forsaken children
who watch the lonely robin left nibbling
at the corpses of their parents and siblings
they rot away, while Trump and Netanyahu
shake hands on their plan to cover
the horror with a
they falsely promise glorious days for the orphans
who will never give up the vision of their
great-grandparents nakbatised
this heartless plan of the President
will never appease these starving childre
who will never give up hope
they know that from death new life is born
let the sea roar!
John Portelli
......
Queuing in Gaza
Queuing for water
queuing for flour
queuing for a tin of sardines
queuing for an olive
queuing for medicine
queuing for blood
queuing for air
queuing to identify the dead
queuing for death
queuing to be wrapped in a kafan
queuing to be bulldozered to the grave
John Portelli
.......
NAMLESS GAZA
Is this voice that scribbles its heart
on the tears of his friend’s pain
oppressed by the relentless bombs
on a Gaza without any relief
in vain?
may you grow at least one wing
hopeless is the jasmine that attempts to bloom
again in the pot on the depleted balcony
in vain the memory of its sweet odour
all the trees have lost their names
all the birds have lost their chants.
JOHN P. PORTELLI
John P. Portelli is a Professor Emeritus, University of toronto, originally from Malta, and author of 11 collections of poetry, two collections of short stories and a novel. His work in Maltese has been translated into English, French, Italian, Arabic, Farsi, Turkish, Greek, Spanish, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, Serbian and Korean. While he migrated to Canada in 1977 and settled in Montreal, and later in Halifax and Toronto, now he lives between Toronto and Malta.
