I Will Be Silent

For ‘Karim “We used to have peace, but now we have only war.”—Halima I will not speak of the dead for that is another matter. I will not speak of those driven out of their homes to find shelter in a camp fenced with strings. I will not speak of those raped at dawn. Or of children shot in the head. I will not speak of them. I will not speak of the woman, round and heavy, like me, who will give birth to a child she’ll be ashamed to name. Neither will I speak of a dozen other women, like her, and a village which will beget bastards. I will not speak of the slash—deep in my thigh, made by a knife: a brand of ownership, the mark of a slave. No; on such matters I’ll be silent. Rather, I’ll speak of warm fires. Of oases, dates, and night songs. I’ll speak of things that once were.