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Aya Salah Poem
Dabka Is Resistance
It’s not just a dance
(Though dancing it is)
It’s not just a great workout
(Though good cardio it is)
It’s not just a form of entertainment
(Though entertaining to watch it is)
It is, above all, resistance.
When I, a Palestinian, do the dabka
in a relaxed setting,
What I am essentially saying with my body is:
I’m not forgetting -
The past
Not forgiving the present situation
Not giving in to an illegal occupation -
I resist.
They may have the land - for now
But occupy our reasoning - just how
Can they expect us to foolishly give in
Our falafels as theirs and keffiyehs as fashion
What’s next - will Arabic
be their “own” language as well
While expecting us to meekly submit
behind the apartheid walls we dwell?
I resist.
Divide a community with a wall
And spill all the blood they want,
There is One taking their every deed in account
Whether they remember it or not
Be you from the East or West, it doesn’t matter where
As long as in the name of justice we resist
To be divided in spirit.
From Gaza to Ramallah to Jerusalem,
Join hands in a circle and do the dabka
From Hebron to Nablus to Jenin,
Join hands in a circle and do the dabka
From every corner of Palestine,
And all the way to Canada,
I’ll join hands in a circle and do the dabka,
I’ll join hearts in a circle and do the dabka.
Dabka is resistance
To becoming bitter from anger and abuse
Dabka is resistance
To being blinded by the truth
Dabka is resistance
To becoming passive and neglectful
Dabka is resistance
To ever stop being proactive and hopeful
In His mercy and His will
To fix things still
Dabka is resistance.
Dabka is
Strong spirits, strong minds,
Strength of kindness one of a kind
Strong characters, strong perseverance
Strength of ongoing patient endurance
And it shows with every bold step that we take
With every synchronized step that we make
And every graceful wave that is waved -
Dabka is resistance.
-Aya Salah
Mar.22, 2014
Copyright © Aya Salah | Year Posted 2014
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Aya Salah Poem
When He breaks you
It is to re-make you.
If given the choice
To give destiny your voice
You would undoubtedly have picked this state
Such is the irony of fate
He breaks you now
So you later see the how -
How the pieces of your journey come to be
A slow but eventual solving of this mystery
He makes you work work work – then fail
So that you realize your means are of no avail
Without His will -
But feel His mercy fill -
Even through the aches still
He punctures your bubble of hope
To teach you the meaning of struggling to cope
To avoid you saying ‘this was all from me’
Which you might say if it always did come so easy
He lets you fall
So that when you stand
It’s straight and tall
Your past sorrows
Not letting you drown
Without your ego
Weighing you down
Even while the road appears smooth
He lets you trip and trip again
So that you might stumble upon hidden treasures
From the dirt, which you may otherwise not gain
In essence,
He knows Best
The perfect Teacher
Who puts the perfect test
-
Truly,
He breaks you
To re-make you…
Better.
Copyright © Aya Salah | Year Posted 2013
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Aya Salah Poem
I am…
The steep steps that you take
Difficult decisions you must make
The dry pebbles in your way
The sparkly rainbows with no grey
The tears that flow from your eyes
Your smiles that light up the skies
The bundles of anxiety in your chest
The sweet serenity that wipes out the rest –
I am…
Every knowledge that is unchoked
When gently probed from minds and books
The graceful movement of the hand
As it draws worlds on wood or sand
Every dream that is yet unfulfilled
And every hurt that was stilled
The multiple incredible expressions of love
That no doubt must have come from above –
I am…
Time; all in future, present and past
Everything that faded and all that will last
The sinking and uplifting realizations that are found
The sharp memories of sight, taste, touch and sound
Every truth you ignorantly thought was a lie
And every lie you failed to turn a blind eye
The ocean of emotions you constantly swim through
That lead to risks you take of things you need to do –
I am…
The intentions you act on, either out of virtue or vice
The road that is frightening and slippery in ice
But I can also be the road that is a breeze
With no fear of falling prey to mind and heart disease
Have you guessed the nature of my identity?
I am simply
the history you write
of your life’s journey.
Copyright © Aya Salah | Year Posted 2013
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Aya Salah Poem
When you seek me, I’m not there
When you wish me gone, I’m everywhere
I am weightless but surprisingly quite measurable
I am promising, alluring, yet may be ironically regrettable
I am stronger than a tsunami in the sense I am unstoppable
Yet weaker than a memory for I am unretreivable
I’m symbolized by the swift, gentle trickling of sand
I am a reason the four seasons dress up the land.
I exist, and yet I’ve never been alive
For how can I live if I can never die?
I am invisible, colorless, soundless and yet undeniable
You think I’m yours truly but I’m not that reliable
I am the secret ingredient to the tasteful perception
Of a half-full or half-empty cup discussion
To visually imagine me, allow me to further explain:
Consider your life a photograph; then I am its frame.
I am given many names
And might be treated like a game
You try compartmentalizing me into perfectly neat blocks
As if I’m really as predictable as the ticking of a clock
I am often undervalued and misused
Worth no monetary value and hence abused
Yet I am worth much, much more, if you but only knew
Then perhaps you might change the way of the things you do.
Use me wisely, and you shall be blessed
Use me ignorantly, and it is to your distress
It’s easier said than done, ‘tis true
I speak to the riddler before speaking to you
You’ve probably realized that this riddle rhymes
So likely you’ll guess the answer in the last line
Now who am I, in this rhyme?
It is I, and I am …
Time.
Copyright © Aya Salah | Year Posted 2013
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Aya Salah Poem
As all I’d ever termed wondrous bliss unexpectedly died -
As my fantasy of a reality with destruction did collide -
My hopes shattered around me like glass in countless pieces,
Fragments suspended in mocking beauty as time freezes…
The clock hand ticks forward and it all crashes to the floor
My knees hit rock-bottom when I could take no more
All I now see is blackness where once there was color
Gone appears the light from the sun and its fervor…
I begin to walk away from the pond of shattered dreams
But the glass is in my clothes and cutting through my heart, it seems
Perhaps I am too close, the smoke is clouding my full view-
Glance up at the tower, instinctively know what to do…
Run up the steps; one, two,three hundred endless stairs
And I barely catch my breath, or have time to fill lungs with air -
Before the ground beneath my feet crumbles into sand
Loud thunder above me rumbles as I fall back down on land…
And I hit rock-bottom again
Thinking this must be the end
For surely no human can go through this pain
And still see rainbows through the rain…
The whole world seems gray and black tonight
With not a speck of pure, identifiable white in sight
Nothing is untouched, gone is everything -
Then how do I glimpse in that crack a thin white string?
Among the dirt, surely this uncorrupted clean string is not real
But just to verify the hopeless doubts, I reach out a hand to feel
And to my electric surprise, it’s most tangible indeed
I yank it out attached to a note, uncrumple it and read:
“Verily, with every hardship comes ease” [Quran 94:6]
That white thread...
Of hope.
Copyright © Aya Salah | Year Posted 2013
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Aya Salah Poem
You said you didn’t want me
And I said I didn’t care
But my caring is what pushed me
To do what I’d never normally dare
Both sorry yet relieved, you tell me more of you
I know it’s not meant to be, for you never had a clue.
But sometimes I wonder, if the timing was just not right
And that when it is, perhaps you’d see the light
Only for it to be too late,
How I pray I wasn’t rushing fate...
Now to what you do, I’ll turn a blind eye
I am tired of my heart tricking my mind…
No.
The real man of steel is just a bit slow on the wheel
He's driving this way, I'll meet him, someday
He’ll come to me when I least suspect
His love will grow from deep friendship and respect
He’ll know I’m her, before I can know
That something about me makes his eyes glow.
I’ll be on his mind, and he’ll let me know that
No heartaches, no pain, his feelings will be out flat
Then! I’ll laugh and wonder what I saw in you
And realize we were never right, like water and glue
I wish you no harm,
I regret causing you alarm
I pray you find what you’re looking for
As for me, my heart has been mended by my Lord.
-A.S.
(April.20, 2013)
Copyright © Aya Salah | Year Posted 2014
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Aya Salah Poem
Some complain of snow
Some complain of the cold
But what falls from the sky
Is much more golden than gold
Blessings from the sky
Yet we turn a blind eye
We instead express our disgust
When we could turn our sins into dust
We could pray to alleviate someone’s pain
But instead we scowl and frown on that rain
We could thank God instead of making a fuss
(It’s not like He’s throwing rocks down at us!)
A time to be grateful,
Yet we just complain
We could be making precious du’aa
For major beneficial gain
But it’s easier to grumble
Roll your eyes and shake your head
You may regret not taking advantage of this
When you’re long gone and dead
Don’t delay being
Grateful to your Lord
Let your heart live out
The ‘alhamdulileh’ word.
Copyright © Aya Salah | Year Posted 2013
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Aya Salah Poem
Beauty Is…
The sharp crunch of a leaf,
red-yellow under your feet
the crisp air of morning hours
the endless colors of all flowers
the exciting sensation of deja-vu
quand tu marches dans une nouvelle rue
it’s the gentle pounding that you get
when your hand touches your chest
the constant beating of your heart,
with no effort on your part–
Beauty is…
The steady patter of the rain
as it goes down the sewer drain
reminding you that with love
come the blessings from above
it’s the sound of a laugh
finding your other better half
it’s the song of a bird
those touching words that you heard
it’s the curve of a smile
that you’ve craved for a while–
Beauty is…
The confidence of an animal in the wild
the innocent sincerity of a child
the softest touch of a mother
a surprise hug from a brother
it’s a father’s warm, gentle gaze
helping someone through a maze
it’s the bond between sisters
of the likes I’ve never known
it’s in friendships so strong
you can’t ever feel alone–
Beauty is…
The balance human beings have
to stand straight on two feet
it’s the magic of the pen
to realize ideas on a sheet
it’s how humans from different
worlds can relate,
it’s your kind neighbour
and supportive classmate
it’s the patience
remarkable people go through
in situations so mind-boggling
you only wonder what you’d do–
Beauty is…
Found in visiting someplace you’ve missed
undeniable in that priceless moment of bliss
in the silent loudness of a sound
as you prostrate with your head on the ground
the sparkling tears of joy from one’s eyes
the discovery of deep truth among the lies
it’s in the unique snowflakes
with their meticulous design
it’s in looking through a microscope
at nature’s details so fine–
Beauty is…
Praying in the woods
among fall leaves and the trees
It’s that sweet smooth loving caress
on your cheeks from the breeze
Beauty is not found in make-up,
nor found through luxurious gates
it’s a universal blessing that many
forget to contemplate–
Now I’m not sure how to end this,
Cuz this topic is quite endless…
Simply put– Beauty is serenity
It’s the peace found within you
it’s no wonder now that we say
Salamu alaikum, Peace be upon you…
So may you find on this day
Colorful wonders out of the gray
You have all the beauty that you need
To satisfy your soul’s spiritual need,
After all, God is sprinkling on us some of His Beauty
And to appreciate it is the least of our duty…. ~
Copyright © Aya Salah | Year Posted 2013
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Aya Salah Poem
You know what sort of intrigues me,
What I find is just a tiny bit cheesy?
It’s when someone asks you, in one word,
To accurately describe him or her.
Have you ever asked this?
I have in the past, yes, I confess
Then I think about it now, and how absurd it is
Feel free to disagree, it’s not my business…
See, a human being is not like a doll
In which one word, its trademark, can sum it all
You cannot expect someone to know you
When you yourself have no clue.
When you look to the unseen, take closer looks:
Describing you would take tens of books
If you took the time and contemplated
You would see that you are, in fact, quite complicated.
You might smile and laugh, while despairing inside
You might eagerly socialize when you just want to hide
You could act humble and noble while your ego really swells
You may look focused and concerned while your thoughts away dwell.
You might’ve once felt doubt, yet people admired you
So you convinced yourself you’re on the right path, too
You don’t need to think, cuz they do the thinking for you
Of your own intentions, you really don’t have a clue.
You’re probably wondering where I’m going with this
Or if I’m going anywhere at all in this reminisce
Truth of the matter is, I’m just Aya Salah: one with a knack
To spill her thoughts on paper when her brain jam-packs.
See, we all have our flaws, we all make mistakes
It takes courage to face them, to do what it takes
For how will one recognize them, to erase and step forward
If one doesn’t know where he is in his own little world?
Do your words portray a distant reality
That doesn’t quite fit your personality?
Or does your heart display different emotions
Than what you claim to feel as you go through the motions?
And yet we ask of others, outsiders of our souls
To put a word, a label to ourselves, that enhance our egos
As if their approval is all that we need and miss
Because really, no one expects their friends to answer with a diss.
I’m rambling on as usual, with no purpose in mind
So I’ll end with a few wise words of mine:
When asked to be described in one word, it’s best stated:
“You and me both… we’re complicated.”
Copyright © Aya Salah | Year Posted 2013
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Aya Salah Poem
An ensemble of basic settlers
That came from a land of alphabetic letters
A simple initially empty word
That soon creates a crowded world,
Of oohs and aahs, of wows and hows
Or of yucks and tongue clucks, of sighs and rolling eyes--
A name.
Now allow your imagination to run amiss
And try really hard to picture this:
You stumble on a name of someone gone
Yet the name bears a legacy as bright as the dawn...
The name is associated with success & cleverness
The name is associated with intelligence & self-agence
A name.
The name became a brand, leaves a mark where it lands
The name was given life after the named left this life
A simple ensemble of lines called single letters
Meaningless at birth but meaningful seemingly forever--
A name.
And everywhere you encounter this name
It is always honored in some fancy hall of fame
And now take your imagination one step higher
And get ready for this - oh baby, you’re on fire! -
Because picture for a moment it’s not just a name...
A name. Your name.
... So what?
At the end of the day, the sun’s glory sets
Just as the body dies when comes its death
But the soul lives on in the reality of eternal states
Whether or not your name is written on dirt or clean plates
To leave behind a legacy and be fondly known
Should never be for a moment a goal on its own
Because your reputation and character are not always the same
Do not sacrifice the sacred for turning life into a game
A word that means so incredibly much
But does it really mean as deeply as such...?
A name.
Copyright © Aya Salah | Year Posted 2013
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