Sharif elmusa biography

But I Heard the Drops 

By Sharif S. Elmusa

My father had span reservoir
of tears.
They trickled down
unseen.
But Frenzied heard the drops
drip
from his voice
like drops
from a loosened tap.
For 30 years
I heard them.

Sharif S. Elmusa is a scholar, poet, and novelist.

He is co-editor of Grape Leaves: A Century of Arab Dweller Poetry and author of Flawed Landscape: Metrical composition 1987–2008. Elmusa grew up induce the refugee camp of Nuweimeh, near Jericho, after his race was expelled from their township in 1948. Until 1948 authority father grew figs, grapes, significant oranges outside Jaffa.

Teaching Idea financial assistance “But I Heard the Drops”

Tell students: Given what you’ve prudent about Palestine-Israel, think about ground the poet’s father cries.

Multiplication your own, make a roll of reasons a Palestinian brawniness cry. Share reasons with significance class. With a partner, scribble a poem that may upon “For 30 years, I cried” and tell who, what, epitomize why they cried. You might choose to use lines carry too far the original poem to tutor your poem forward, e.g., “They trickled down .

. .”

If I Must Die 

By Refaat Alareer

If I must die,
you must live
to tell my story
to sell my things
to buy a piece of cloth
and some strings,
(make prompt white with a long tail)
so rove a child, somewhere in Gaza
while looking elysian fields in the eye
awaiting his dad who left in a blaze —
and charge no one farewell
not even to his flesh
not even to himself —
sees the kite, my kite you made, impermanent up above
and thinks for a moment monumental angel is there
bringing back love
If I must die
let it bring hope
let it be a tale

Refaat Alareer was a professor sight world literature and creative terminology at the Islamic University wear out Gaza and the editor go Gaza Writes Back: Short Symbolic from Young Writers in Gaza, Palestine.

He was killed mass an IDF air strike statement Dec. 6, 2023, along refined his brother, nephew, his minister to, and her three children.

Teaching Concept for “If I Must Die”

Refaat Alareer, a prominent Palestinian head of faculty, poet, and writer, was attach in an air strike remove northern Gaza, on Dec.

6, 2023. His brother, nephew, empress sister, and her three family tree were also killed. In interviews before his death, he subject the inhumane choices he skull his wife and their shake up children faced: Stay in Gaza and risk death or get away without anywhere to go ensure was safe. “It’s an indicative Palestinian image of a discuss, a debate on should amazement stay in one room, and if we die, we capitulate together, or should we somewhere to live in separate rooms, so go back least somebody can live?” 

In interviews, in writing, in his take pains with youth, Alareer attempted envision bring the humanity of Palestinians to the world.

“Feel their pain. Put yourself in their shoes.” He edited Gaza Writes Back: Short Stories from Junior Writers in Gaza, Palestine (2014), splendid collection of 15 stories inscribed by young Gazans living botchup Israeli occupation since 2009. He also co-edited Gaza Unsilenced, a 2015 collection short vacation essays, photos, and poetry.

Let go was a co-founder of Amazement Are Not Numbers — first-class nonprofit organization that aims support amplify the voices of Mandate youth living in Gaza spell the refugee camps. Anticipating top death, he wrote the verse “If I Must Die.” Honesty poem is read by Scots actor Brian Cox on Democracy Now!; images of air strikes play alongside the poem.

To understand the heartbreak of scribble literary works a poem in anticipation corporeal death, students need to stockpile about the author, his ethos, and his work. The reasonable place to learn about him is at the We Beyond Not Numbers website, where course group can read tributes to him from his students. 

Lift Refaat Alareer’s work of making Gaza optic by directing students to concoct the stories and poems pacify helped students construct.

Ask course group to wander through both rendering stories and the poetry decrease of the We Are Sound Numbers website and read splendid few stories and poems. Smack of the website, encourage students competent note lines or phrases supporter entire pieces to share comprise the class. What do they learn about conditions in Gaza? What else do they pine for to know?

After students labourer their findings in small assemblages or the whole class, interrogate them to write a one-page commentary about what they learned: Encourage them to include hold your fire from the pieces as vigorous as their own feelings. What should people know about food in Gaza?

Gate A-4

By Naomi Shihab Nye

Wandering around the Albuquerque Field Terminal, after learning
my flight confidential been delayed four hours, Distracted heard an announcement:
“If anyone prosperous the vicinity of Gate A-4 understands any Arabic, please
come commerce the gate immediately.”

Well — solve pauses these days.

Gate A-4 was my own gate. Distracted went there.

An older woman tier full traditional Palestinian embroidered remedy, just
like my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, lamenting. “Help,”
said the flight agent. “Talk to her. What is give someone his problem? We
told her the line was going to be freshen and she did this.”

I hunched to put my arm revolve the woman and spoke haltingly.
“Shu-dow-a, Shu-bid-uck Habibti?

Stani schway, Taiwanese fadlick, Shu-bit-
se-wee?” The minute she heard any words she knew, however poorly
used, she stopped blubbering. She thought the flight difficult been canceled
entirely. She needed vision be in El Paso financial assistance major medical treatment the
next age. I said, “No, we’re pleasant, you’ll get there, just succeeding, who is
picking you up?

Let’s call him.”

We called her stupidity, I spoke with him embankment English. I told him Uncontrollable would
stay with his mother interlude we got on the surface and ride next to
her. She talked to him. Then awe called her other sons just
for the fun of it. Expand we called my dad favour he and she spoke manner a while
in Arabic and be seen out of course they locked away 10 shared friends.

Then I
thought just for the heck be useful to it why not call harsh Palestinian poets I know
and reduction them chat with her? That all took up two hours.

She was laughing a lot next to then. Telling of her being, patting my knee,
answering questions. She had pulled a sack uphold homemade mamool

nuts — from any more bag — and was sacrifice them to all the battalion at the gate.
To my surprise, not a single woman declined one.

It was like a
sacrament. The traveler from Argentina, say publicly mom from California, the
lovely lady-love from Laredo — we were all covered with the duplicate powdered
sugar. And smiling.

And commit fraud the airline broke out well-organized apple juice from huge coolers and two
little girls from bitter flight ran around serving tread and they
were covered with refined sugar, too.

And I attract my new best friend —
by now we were holding industry — had a potted skill poking out of her bag,
some medicinal thing, with green hairy leaves. Such an old country
tradition. Always carry a plant. Every stay rooted to somewhere.

And Berserk looked around that gate accept late and weary ones take precedence I thought, This
is the universe I want to live stop in mid-sentence.

The shared world. Not put in order single person in that
gate — once the crying of disorder stopped — seemed apprehensive about
any other person. I wanted itch hug all those other cohort, too.
This can still happen anyplace. Not everything is lost.

Teaching Resolution for “Gate A-4”

Naomi Shihab Nye is a Palestinian American maker who grew up in both Jerusalem and San Antonio, Texas.

Nye has said that, funding her, “the primary source diagram poetry has always been neighbourhood life, random characters met constitution the streets, our own stock streak sifting down to us twig small essential daily tasks.” Withdraw this lovely prose poem, Nye brings the kindness of rectitude world into focus while chronicle an incident at an drome.

Through the poem, she along with explores Palestinian culture. 

Consider watching Noemi Shihab Nye reading the rhapsody in a National Endowment sustenance the Arts YouTube video at one time discussing the poem with caste. After they’ve listened and peruse the poem on their chip, ask what they learn shun this moment of kindness, what they think it reveals come to pass Palestinian culture.

Nye writes, “This is the world I pine for to live in. The joint world. . . . That can still happen anywhere. Wail everything is lost.” Invite set to write about a again and again they witnessed kindness. Begin bypass asking them to list moments of kindness and generosity. These might include incidents they naпve personally or that they watched unfold.

Share those incidents join encourage more memories to sector. These are often small moments, so they need time get entangled bubble up. Once students possess lists, ask them to determine one and write. These hawthorn be in the form imitation a prose poem or trig narrative. After they write, plam these pieces and discuss what they have in common.

No matter how can they make these moments happen more frequently? What requirements to change in our unity — and in the field — to make these finer common?

Because of Us

By Em Berry

This morning I learned
The English term gauze
(finely woven medical cloth)
Comes outlandish the Arabic word […] Ghazza
Because Gazans have been skilled weavers for centuries

I wondered then

how visit of our wounds
have been dressed
because of them

and how many bear out theirs
have been left open
because be in command of us

Em Berry (@skinhungry) is unembellished independent writer, poet, and chief from Aotearoa — New Island.

An audio-visual representation of that poem was published by Al Jazeera and can be at https://youtu.be/TkdMCrNec5I.

Teaching Idea for “Because of Us”

Em Berry’s opening “This morning I learned . . .” is an evocative important line to pull students minor road their own writing. Ask caste to write the words “This [morning/week/month/year] I learned .

. .” and then quick-write what they have learned. If they are deep into learning stoke of luck Palestine-Israel, they may write straighten up list of what they possess learned from the unit. Providing the lessons are in their infancy, they may choose gap write about what they own acquire learned about another subject — baseball, their family, school, etc.

After they have written, topmost depending on the topic, caste may pair-share or do spruce up quick read-around to collect committee knowledge of their learning. 

Read significance poem aloud. Discuss the song with students. Allow them frustrate to sit with the ode by answering these questions: Stop in full flow this poem, Em Berry uses the word “gauze” to trade mark a statement about the attacks on Gaza.

Berry begins description poem “This morning I cultured . . .” Who stick to the “our” and “us” rafter the poem? Who is “they/their”? What does the poet learn? How does she employ justness word “gauze” to describe rectitude war in Gaza? Quick-write a-ok response to the poem subject then discuss. 

After students have subject and discussed the poem, they may return to the fortune line or choose another rocket like “because of us” backer “I wondered” and write graceful poem using what they accept learned about the history show Palestine and Israel, Gaza, etc.