My Land My Abode

I live in Gaza Not the land where cattle graze And river flows But where Israelis raze Our land in shells But where Israelis flood Our land in blood I now know how to count Like other boys of my age But not with fingers and nails But bodies of the dead Of friends and relatives Have taught me arithmetic Who have died in the pool Not the swimming pool of your maisonette But in the pool of blood Of those who we have lost. My grandfather had fought And died in the front My father had followed And perished in the blast And my brother has been A martyr in the struggle Just like the many Who have been in the front And now it’s my turn To go to the front Not because I do not want To be in school I have to defend Our land in blood That which shall be Tomorrow my abode