Long Defiantly Poems

Fadwa Tuqan has been called the Grand Dame of Palestinian letters and The Poet of Palestine. These are my translations of Fadwa Tuqan poems originally written in Arabic.



Enough for Me
by Fadwa Tuqan 
loose translation/interpretation by...

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English translations of Arabic poems by Fadwa Tuqan aka "The Poet of Palestine"

Enough for Me
by Fadwa Tuqan 
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Enough for me to lie in the earth,
to be buried in her,
to sink...

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Judging v Mediating,
like Teaching v Mentoring,
like Win/Lose Retributive Motives v Win/Win Restorative Motivators
like dogmatic Preaching v compassionately Communicating,

As felt
and appreciated by my LeftBrain dominant
RightWing hand
nurturing StraightWhite patriarchal 
overpoweringly privileged
systemically elitist judgment

Branching, colonizing, 
extending up and...

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Cecelia was a new person in town to see
about the rooms for rent with availability.
This woman came to start a car rental company.
It would serve the people within this community.
Cecelia knew Prester was the name...

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Punishing for revenge,
could this occur to natural systems
without capacity to imagine alternative futures?

Punishing others for their defiant behavior,
actions and words stronger than ignorantly ignoring,
bolder than merely angry with Other 
and our defenseless selves

But how much...

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In the raw expanse of land where rivers sigh,  
marked by the shadows of cats and dogs,  
with each puddle of yellow reminding us  
of lives once lived, hearts bound to the...

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The Enchanted City of Dual Realms
In the sprawling labyrinth of concrete towers and spectral glass,
where skyscrapers, like ancient obelisks, pierce the celestial veil with unyielding ambition,
serpentine rivers of fortune murmur in arcane tongues, their secrets...

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Injustices, victimization,
oppression and other yucky events
of diverse varieties,
are like toe nail fungus:
1. both alarming and embarrassing
2. who knows where it came from
3. we would appreciate it if it would return
from wherever to whatever,
as long as...

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THE CHIMNEY
The once fine air, refreshens with dust
Between the village horizon and crest
Since the sailing of a death chemical chimney.

Young green plants seedlings growing on slope
Are left to sip these  carcinogenic dusts, sapling
And entwined...

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Limricks prompted by a comment made by someone today

It's a fact, and no longer just a rumor
Some soup people barf at toilet humor
Have you sniffed your own butt 
It stinks so keep it shut
Pessimism must...

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What I wanted to say
the other day
when exalting healthy kindness
for potentially freeing us
from Straight White Men's great meanness

Costing Earth's Green Commons
and charging disinterest against
co-investing in healthy wealth
of all we cooperatively cherish
as good-wellness humored
for me
and win/win...

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For the third time Pandora stands before the box
Inlaid with jewels ivory and gold
In her hand is the key – she closely examines
Intrigued by its intricate patterns - so ancient- so old

Her Creator’s mandate she...

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Argh daylight savings time ends – 2:00 AM November 6th 2022

Hour hands of o'clock get set back 
sixty minutes gaining extra hour of Autumn
round about this same day of November 
every year, what a bum
er,...

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Daylight Savings Time Ends – November 5th 2023 means...

discombobulated, harried, and lobotomized
state of body, mind, and spirit triage.

Onset of dark shadows signalling edge of night
occurs earlier as the world turns  
beckoning, hinting, robbing passage...

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Argh Daylight Savings Time – March 13th, 2022

Once again, yours truly
dishes out his regular dose
of literary gobbledygook
even Count Dracula
would not even bat an eye
nor give me his evil curse,
butta I avoid tempting him 
courtesy fanged...

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I rediscover organic errors
hidden in co-gravitating
love language.

Gravity is easily noticed
as Apple falling toward Earth;
less visibly co-scienced,
experientially remembered,
as co-gravitational
co-relational intent

As Apple's ego-gravity core
falls drawn toward sacred Earth's
Mothering womb
smothering tomb
once more
returning toward deeply divine
anthrosupremely verbal
overpowering EarthTribe's co-operating...

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I had a long argument today...
Whilst sitting by the 
surcharging charging airport port,
shouldertoshoulder with this pastor.

Delayed flight and low juice
kept us there, squared off;
shoulder to shoulder.

He with his Righteousness,
me with my Right View.
He with all...

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Argh Daylight Savings Time – March 14th, 2021

Once again, yours truly
dishes out his regular dose
of literary gobbledygook
even Count Dracula
would not even bat an eye
nor give me his evil,
(albeit harmless) look
regarding feeble effort I undertook.

Don't forget...

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I wonder if fully liberated consciousness
can only focus on integrity
becoming;

If partial consciousness
and unconsciousness of left with right awareness
is the default of dis-integrity,
of wandering through detachment
of unwanted apartheid
and mutual apathy
about integrity's personal
national
global governing pride,
organic capacity to...

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I asked her
do you believe that as soon as any man walks into a room and he’s eyes fall so completely upon someone like you he can fall in love?
at first 
she didn’t answer
she just...

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The oldest citizen of Soup Creek, Nopaul E. Ticks, posed to show his support for the town council's ban on politicians.

I hear that nasty Trump feller, wants to stump in Soup Creek.
He wrote to Mayor...

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I am anxious
as my 5:30 beeping alarm
grows defiantly louder,
reminding me of surreal difference
between asleep, longing for better days awake,
and,
now awake,
longing for more sleep
struggling toward alarming predawn buttons
to release from this first crisis
for depressing life's day-rousing...

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Daylight Savings Time – March 13th,   2022

A long time graduate courtesy 
Hard Knocks alum,
once again yours truly 
posts reasonable rhyme 
about shortest day of the year.

Two o'clock Ante Meridiem 
nostri Jesu Christi 
hour...

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GODS WAITING ROOM

Mr Black, please get down from that chair,
You’ll break your legs,
Mr Black replied, it would be worthwhile love
Just to see your sexy pegs,
As you pass by my room and go up
The stairs,
We all...

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Argh... the bane of daylight savings time – November 3rd 2024

Hour hands clock back
sixty minutes of Autumn
round about same of month
every year, what a bummer,
an inconvenient truth
diverged from this chum
purposelessly manipulating
hold over yesteryear doth drum
sensation...

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