There are cities,
In which the hills,
House illuminations,
Arguments and hushed secrets.
There are no skyscrapers here,
Only open landscapes,
The houses,
Like golden stars,
Embedded in the stone.
There is magic after twilight,
The moment where the galaxies,
In the sky,
Are projected,
Like a reflection of everything we ever were,
Onto the Earth.
From Ajloun,
Wars were fought.
From Ajloun,
They say,
Once the clouds part,
Making way for our desires,
Nablus can be seen,
On a clear night.
From Jenin,
The lights of Nazareth.
From Ramallah,
Tel Aviv.
And from the other side of the Valley,
An impossible geography of longing,
Is traced.
———
TEXT:
SUJA SAWAFTA
PALESTINE/
UNITED STATES
ART:
ADNAN SAMMAN
SYRIA