Debate for Peace

I am from

I am from ash

I am from my blood, my skin

I am from ash, clay, and just a little soul 

a little soul who makes mistakes

a little soul who gets lost, a little soul who does not know.

I am from mess and chaos.

I am from, loving swimming, but remembering drowning.

I am from loving winter 

I am loving nature, from looking outside my window and admiring the beauty 

I am from the euphoria of swinging a little way too high in the swing and feeling the whole world stop

I am from hearing the sound of prayer next to my house.

I am from my first cats, “Sukar” and “Loz”.

I am from loving animals, or maybe animals taught me how to love 

I am from olive oil.

I am from sitting under the olive tree for long hours

I am from sitting in front of my mirror for even longer.

 looking, searching, checking in a broken mirror too broken to see who I am

I am from the politics of saying where I am from, who I am, what I am, and what I want to be, nowhere in the world does being who I am cause dialogue, except where I am from 

I am from the confusion when anyone asks me what I like, they want to know who I am “Just say what you like”.

I am from a world of individual people, within groups, who maybe rely on these groups to get to know themselves, who do not know themselves, I mean you’re only as deep as you have met yourself

I am from all of my mistakes in the past and all of my decisions 

maybe even I don’t know what I like and want in life 

but I know I am from home

I am from Jerusalem, my father’s village up north, and my mom’s city

I am from reading, writing, and listening.

but when everything stops and no labels are around, I am Quds, I am me: that’s the only thing I will never lose, and that’s what stays with me always.