The Story
by Kamal Nasser
translation by Michael R. Burch

I will tell you a story ...
a story that lived in the dreams of my people,
a story that comes from the world of tents.
It is a story inspired by hunger and embellished by dark nights of terror.
It is the story of my country, a handful of refugees.
Every twenty of them have a pound of flour between them
and a few promises of relief ... gifts and parcels.
It is the story of the suffering ones
who stood waiting in line ten years,
in hunger,
in tears and agony,
in hardship and yearning.
It is a story of a people who were misled,
who were thrown into the mazes of the years.
And yet they stood defiant,
disrobed yet united
as they trudged from the light to their tents:
the revolution of return
into the world of darkness.

Kamal Nasser was a much-admired Palestinian poet and Palestinian Christian, who due to his renowned integrity was known as "The Conscience." He was a member of Jordan's parliament in 1956. He was murdered in 1973 by an Israeli death squad whose most notorious member was future Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Barak (born Ehud Brog) later ruled as Israel’s tenth Prime Minister from 1999 to 2001. His adopted Hebrew name Barak means "lightning." As a younger man, Brog/Barak was a member of a secret assassination unit that liquidated Palestinians in Lebanon and the occupied territories. In the 1973 covert mission Operation Spring of Youth in Beirut, which was part of the larger Operation Wrath of God, he disguised himself as a woman in order to assassinate Palestinians. The raid resulted in the deaths of two women, one of them an elderly Italian. Two Lebanese policemen were also killed, along with the poet Kamal Nasser.

Nasser was the PLO's most prominent Christian and he enjoyed "great appeal" in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq "both as a distinguished poet and likeable personality." He was the “conscience of the Palestinian revolution,” according to Nazih Abul-Nidal, who worked with him on the magazine Filastin al-Thawra. Nasser “had the most democratic outlook of all Palestinian leaders at the time,” he recalls. He respected opposing views, admired the commitment of young people, and was a major recruitment asset for the Palestinian revolution. “That is why he was put high on the hit-list.” The previous year, the Israelis had murdered another renowned Palestinian writer and activist in Beirut, Ghassan Kanafani, by *****-trapping his car. Nasser’s successor, Majed Abu Sharar, was also assassinated by Israelis, in Rome in 1981 while attending a conference in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Keywords/Tags: Kamal Nasser, Palestinian, Palestine, PLO, Conscience, Ramallah, Christian, religion, poet, Arab, Arabic, Arab Spring, betrayal, conflict, courage, devotion

APA KAU TAK DENGAR ??

Sebuah nyanyian gerakan melingking lurus tajam
ke arah penguasa yang menusuk hati rakyat.

Para pemuda dan mahasiswa yang berada
dalam pusaran arus kerusakan
Maka tiada lagi, kita harus melawan !

Disaat buku hanya berada dikantong saku berdebu
Disaat pena tak lagi mengeluarkan goresan tajamnya
Disaat megaphonemu tak lagi bersuara karena usang
Disaat tongsismu membunuh sikap kritis !

Mana raunganmu wahai Pemuda ?
Keluarlah dari barak kos dan sekretariatanmu Mahasiswa !

Apa kau tak dengar ??

Mana raunganmu wahai Pemuda ?
Keluarlah dari barak kos dan sekretariatanmu Mahasiswa !

Apa kau tak dengar ??

Sungguh ibumu tak kan rela melihat dapur rumahnya
yang tak lagi mengepul

Apa kau tak dengar ??

Sungguh bapakmu tak kan rela melihat kau
menderita karena miskin tenaga

Apa kau tak dengar ??

Sungguh jalan raya merindukan berbagai aksi aksimu
disetiap hentakan langkah kakimu

Apa kau tak dengar ??

Sungguh engkau adalah Generasi yang diharapkan
ummat Muhammad !

Wahai Mahasiswa.. Kau pembebas dunia
Wahai Mahasiswa.. Kau penerus negeri

Wahai Mahasiswa.. Dikepalmu Khilafah !
Wahai Mahasiswa.. Dikepalmu Khilafah !
Wahai Mahasiswa.. Dikepalmu Khilafah !

‪#‎RinduPergolakan‬

I
Sing, O Muse, of the wrath
That came from the East
To conquer our conquerors,
Of the left-handed Benjaminite, Ehud,
Chosen by G-d to free
The twelve tribes of
His chosen people.
For in his holy ******
Of Eglon, who, spurned by G-d,
Threw the chains of slavery on the
Exiles of exiles, diasporas of diasporas,
Kingdom of kingdoms trampled under
The wheel and foot, the people found
Their salvation in the crumpled body
Of an overweight king with a two-sided
Sword, fashioned by hand, in his protruded belly.

II

First, in the long succession of Judges,
Was Othniel, then Ehud, Shamgar,
Deborah, Barak, meaning lightning,
Followed by Gideon who destroyed
The altar of Baal, then Tola, Jair,
Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon.
Samson emerged late on the scene
And let the ***** from afar castrate his hair
And his G-dly strength.  But for all their
Effort there remained no king in Israel,
And everyone did what was right in
Their own eyes. The greatest of these
Poor souls from His chosen lot was the
Son of Gera, Ehud.  Giving his life to
Service, he offered his left hand as a
Sacrifice to Israel’s infidelities.

III

Sitting in his glorious throne room,
Talking of matters begot to none
But the war-chiefs who graveled at his
Every word, Eglon thought
Of his kingdom and prosperity
Allowing him and his company
To feast upon the rifled carcasses
Of the local gallopers and crawlers.
Then, not knowing where, a sickly
Perception of war entered and blew
The horn, resonating of blood and
Chariots, of men armed with spears,
Women and children weeping for their
Lost fathers and new-lovers. The sound
Reverberated; and written on the inside
Of his skull rested the words “wage war
With the kingdom of Israel.”

IV

And not making reply, or questioning why,
He knew but his men were to do and die.
Little did he know or think to think upon
That his free agency of choice was stolen
By the children of Abraham.  So, he
Gathered the armies of Moab
Of the Ammonites and
Of the Amalekites.  With a cloud of murderous
Dust trailing behind them, and war cries
Piercing the air, they rode on to the
City of palms. “Ride, my men,” cried the king,
“Steal and plunder, destroy their gods, and
Shimmer in the glory of destruction.” His armies
Heard his cry
But did not reply.  

V

Eglon and his armies, treading like
The young lion and the dragon,
Casting stretching shadows,
Conquered the twelve tribes.  Not
A cry was uttered from Israel;
They tumbled and crumbled before
The mighty hand of the veracious invaders
Like reeds amongst the wind on
A March afternoon breeding daises
On the golden meadow.  For years,
They toiled under Eglon’s rule
Under his might,
Under his perpetual night.
“Deliver us from this evil,”
Prayed unthankful Israel—
Like always before in the unperturbed cycle
G-d heard their cries from the wasteland.

VI
The existence of Ehud, G-d’s Judge,
Amalgamates at the tip of his left hand,
Would evil emanate from his finger tips?
Sinistra sinistra sinistra sinistra sinistra
Can he, caught in the grips of history,
Defy his wretched kind? With these questions
He, answering the summons of Him and
Armed with a double sided sword of two cubits
In length fashioned by his own hand, walked
Down from the mountains to the
Palace doorstep.
I
HAVE
A
MESSAGE
FROM
G-D
FOR
YOU

VII

As the blade pierced Eglon’s belly,
G-d’s writing evaporated from his mind.
Sent to a kingdom far away to conquer
A people he knew little about, his career,
His rule, his reign, would end at the edge
Of a man from amongst the commoners.
Here he lies, the once mighty king
Laying in a pool of his own feces
Sheol awaits for him after his death
Sheol awaits for us after our deaths
And, the young man, emerging from the king’s palace
With a smirk on his condensed face;
After the battle was won,
After Israel was delivered,
After his people forgot his very name,
He, too, from the tribe of Benjamin
Had Sheol waiting on him.

The dream

Remember- Martin Luther King-

"Let freedom ring"
He grace the world with a vision.
"Free at last"
He sang of the goal to the crowd

Remember -Agathe Uwilingiyimana -

The "content of our character"
Has come to judgment
But these character are just fools on a stage

Remember -Abraham Lincoln-

King's dream would come to a peak
But 2chainz, kim, minaj  TO and those unlike him
Would push it over and watch it crash on the buffs below

Remember -Medgar Evers-

Even Langston, wondered "what is a dream differed?"
Mahalia Jackson screamed for Martin to "tell em bout the dream"
But as Marvin proclaimed "we still don't know what's going"

Remember -John Fitzgerald Kennedy-

Obama made it in but the walls of the house he resides are far from the gleaming white it claims to be.
Blackened by the administration before him, the walls just too dingy to overlook

Remember -Fred Hampton-

He said "america gave us a bad check" and the march to washington would be how its cashed.
We all saw Barak at the teller endorsing but in the end the long fall of that tall horse was the goal of the fairest man.

He wanted every valley exalted.
Instead ******* God father pizza man makes a fool of the process, and a kid with a hoodie take the hit, just like Emmit Till, a school full of babies take the hit, Twin towers in new york takes the hit, theatre full of batman fans take the hit, but guess that's living the dream.

Remember- Harry and Hariette Moore-

Malcom says by any means
Even Jimi Hendrix sang for us to grab the machine guns
"Fight the power!" Be a public enemy. What ever happen to all that?
A fist in the air and a call for unity use to use to get us up in the morning
Now this ***** running around with a helmet and some horns telling these skanks he's the flavor of love.
Ya I'll pass on that
And go with the labor of love and survive with a better understanding of what life is.

Remember -Benazir Bhutto-

Mya Angelou was a ****, *******, stripper, and thief before she  new "why the cage bird sing"
Even today with all her enlightenment she ask where is Dr King's dream?

Humans have come so far so fast but judgment and common sense still elude our sophisticated lives. What once was a dream is indeed a reality to most but that's only because the play ignorance to the issues that still plague our nation and that dream we chase is littered with little nightmares.

Remember -Emmit Till-

Lincoln started the process J.F.K started the process, M.L.K. Preached the process, Medgar Evars tried to beat the process, Malcom X was betrayed for the process, Agathe Uwilingiyimana stood up for the process,Benazir Bhutto took a chance on the process,Fred Hampton died in the process,
Harry and Hariette Moore burned for the process,
Emmit Till was tortured in the process.
All believing the dream would see them survive.

-Remember the future-
-Xin-

Love unfeigned, how can it be
Truly known: by deed or by word?


Take old Sisera for example, my lady,
Who fled with his glittering sword
To the tent of Jael, the beloved wife
Of Kenite, from the face of Barak.
And of her requested he for his life
Water, and she in action was not slack
To offer him milk instead, and did cover
Him again with a blanket. Sleeping in peace,
She crept softly to him with a hammer
And nailed down his temple with ease.
Yet to her did he entrust his safety,
Seeking from the smasher vain security.


Consider Joab, too, how he by his fine
Speech killled Amasa his worthy cousin;
Taking his beard with his right hand
As though he would give him a kiss grand,
Whilst his left hand had a thirsty dagger
Waiting; and he pierced the good feller
Through with his wicked blade. How the tongue
Of men do flatter oft in order to do wrong!

In the realm of riddles, I shall weave a tale,
Of women who dared to risk, their spirits unveiled.
They belittled themselves, chained by their own doubt,
But within them, a fire burned, yearning to break out.

A call to action for those who undervalue their worth,
Who think beauty alone can grant desires on Earth.
Fashion's trends may sway, but cannot define,
The essence of a soul, radiant and divine.

Humble yet afraid to take a leap of faith,
They stood at life's crossroads, contemplating their fate.
For life, a game of truth and dare, they knew,
To seek the truth, risk must be embraced anew.

Abigail, the joy of her father, held the key,
When Nabal insulted David, her spirit flew free.
She acted quickly, in desperate times she knew,
Extreme measures were needed, her resolve true.

With gifts offered in secret, she soothed anger's fire,
Submissive and respectful, she fulfilled her desire.
Bowing before David, forgiveness she did seek,
Her courage shone bright, humble yet bold and meek.

Joanna, a name mentioned briefly in holy verse,
Willing to follow her Savior, her faith a rehearse.
Supporting Jesus and the apostles from her own means,
Connections to Herod's palace, where danger convenes.

Her husband Chuza, the right hand of the king,
Yet Joanna chose the path where faith takes wing.
Risking it all for her Lord, she stood strong,
Her dedication rewarded, she witnessed the empty tomb's song.

Rahab, known as a harlot, yet her past did fade,
When she risked her life, her loyalty displayed.
Spying for Joshua's men, hidden on her rooftop,
Lying to the king's men, her family's safety her hope.

Deborah, wise and courageous, a beacon of light,
An influential woman, standing firm in the fight.
As a prophet and priestess, God's voice she would hear,
Leading worship and preaching, casting aside fear.

With Barak and troops, she ventured to the fray,
The glory destined for a woman, prophecies would say.
But not Deborah herself, it was Jael who would stand,
Driving a tent peg through Sisera's head, bold and grand.

Esther, the Queen of Courage, in the palace she dwelled,
Never forgetting her roots, where she once excelled.
A loyal Jew, she held fast to her faith,
Trusting in God's wisdom, she prepared a banquet's wraith.

No blind rush, no heed to doubts and fear,
She approached King Xerxes, her voice crystal clear.
Risking her very life, she yielded to God's might,
Trusting His plan, walking in His guiding light.

Ruth, when her husband died, faced a choice,
To return to her kin or embrace a new voice.
Against doubt's agony, she held steadfast,
Choosing to stay with Naomi, her conviction unasked.

Her influence grew, as others took note,
Admired for her loyalty, a foreigner of note.
Favor gained from Boaz, protection sought under wings,
Her decision stood out, like vibrant colorful rings.

A woman who stood apart, shining so bright,
Impressing the town and elders with her inner light.
May God make her like Rachel and Leah, they blessed,
A pillar in Ephrathah, her name forever impressed.

To the women who ponder their worth and might,
Who belittle themselves, yet yearn to take flight,
I ask you now, in the face of life's glare,
Will you embrace risk's dare and dare to dare?

I WANNA BE LIKE WILL AND JADA
LIKE RUSSLE AND CIARA
I WANNA BE LIKE BEY AND JAY
HAHAHA OR MAYBE LIKE THE GREAT MICHELLE AND BARAK OBAMA
THE ONLY THING THATS DIFFERENT IS
I WANNA BE HAPPY WITHOUT YOU!

SEE, WE WERE A TEAM THAT COULDNT BE BEAT
MORESO A FORCE NONE COULD COMPETE
TRY TO FACE JUDGMENT OF LOSING SOEMTHING DEAR
TRY TO FACE REALITY OF STANDING FACE TO FACE WITH YOUR BIGGEST FEAR
HOW DO I GET RID OF MEMORIES BUT STILL BE ABLE TO HOLD ONTO THE MEMORIES
WITHOUT HURTING OR HAVING PAIN?
HOW DO I SMILE AT WHAT WAS BUT NOT ENDURE THE PAIN OF WHAT IS?
I JUST WANNA BE HAPPY WITHOUT YOU!

I WANTED TO LIVE OUT OUR DREAMS
WE WANTED TO MAKE OUR FANTASIES OUR REALITIES
NOW I HAVE TO MOPE IN THE AGONY OF NOT HAVING YOU
BUT CAN I STILL HOLD YOU LIKE YOU WANT?
HOLD YOU LIKE A FRIEND
HOLD YOU LIKE THE DAY WILL NEVER END
HOLD YOU UNTIL DAY TURNS TO NIGHT
AND UNTIL NIGHT TURNS INTO ANOTHER MORNING WHERE WE SMILE AT EACH OTHER?
I JUST WANNA BE HAPPY WITHOUT YOU!

DAYS TURN INTO WEEKS
WEEKS INTO MONTHS
MONTHS INTO YEARS
DAM, AND ALL THIS WAS OVER STANDING FACE TO FACE WITH ONE OF MY BIGGEST FEARS?
LOSING YOU
THE ONE I LOVED AND ADORED
THE ONE I ADMIRED AND SO MUCH MORE
THE ONE THAT INSPIRED ME TO KEEP PUSHING EVEN IF ITS A CLEAR DISTANCE
THE ONE THAT PUSHED ME WHEN I COULDNT PUSH MYSELF
I JUST WANNA BE HAPPY WITHOUT YOU!

UNTIL THEN-
UNTIL MY NIGHT TURNS TO MORNING
UNTIL MY DAY BECOMES CLEAR
UNTIL MY DREAMS BECOME MY REALITY
UNTIL MY FEARS WITHER AWAY
ILL BE LOOKING HOW TO FIND MY HAPPINESS
NOT WITHIN MYSELF BUT JUST HAPPY WITHOUT YOU!

It rumbles and roars
The rage I harbor in my bones
Unsung song of contention
Bitter and bilious in my mouth
Because when I tried to speak,
nobody was listening

Boundries of consent are drawn at home
And maintained before being extended
To a world where Xanthippe is a slur
Between giving up a career and giving in to a creep
There isn't much of an option

Shame is the best weapon after fear
In the arsenal of patriarchy
Ammo of choice for its sari draped agents
To keep young women in line lest they
Sprout a tongue or mind of their own

Decades of silence has fed the fire of rage
Licking and moulding my contours
Till I turn into Jael yielding pen
Refusing to be a collateral any longer, ready
To nail Sisera, with or without a Barak to celebrate

The shooter seems willing to speak…
- I was lied to. I was good for nothin'
sure, as a young rapscallion's apprentice, why
who would not be mad, upon learning of the ways
bank's means support the boys being used as mercenaries,
- and yeah,
what a wonderful thing compounded confounding interests
seem, gee, America was great,
for some people, all the time,
sorted ones, picked for preparation,
smart kid, we can use such, prepared,
liberally educated and earnestly able,
to make a plan, write a thesis, daily table,
to change a plan into a scheme, ability
imbued with a curious charisma, they say,

so full of his personality, like Donald,
Goofy and Minnie both nod, ****,
did you vote for Al Smith, back then,
when America was great, and fortunes
was made selling Bridges in Brooklyn,
?
time and again, its like we was there,
East end, West end, all around the town,
but, at the movies,
in little dark structures serving ancient needs,
hands could be held, and, dare we, yes, yes,
all the way, America wins the America's Cup,
a true, real deal feel we are in that Spirit,
riding wind under the Oracle banner,
winning America's cup, for spreadsheet people.
- everyday folks who watch old movies on TV.
- And the folks who make those movies for you.

Those are the teams, eh, the people versus the people.
Spy vs. Spy, yes … Mad, Al Smith, and Alfred E. Neuman,
Barak, atar adonai ai ai ai, did I not
warn you,
allusions to Jeopardy questions evoke immediate inssi-der
we won. Not ironically, sublimely subtleeeeeeeeeee

Something t's me off, I swing. Killer instinct. Gut reacts.
Spirituality is gaseous, mystical, like swamp gas,
but in your belly, burning, below the bosum.

What an awesome duty you have on Jan 5.

YOUR VOTE WILL DETERMINE THE DIRECTION OF THE ENTIRE USA FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS.  Wow!

Your election is not really about the incumbents and challengers.  It is about Mitch McConnell. Your election will decide if this one man, elected by one small state, will retain the power to keep legislation             he happens to dislike from ever coming to an open vote on the Senate floor. It will give him the continued power to ignore bills passed by the House of Representatives and lock them away in his desk, never to be debated, discussed or passed by the Senate.

Voting for your incumbents will keep the makeup of the Senate as it is, and give McConnell his power for another four years, so he can hamper progress for Joe Biden, just as he did for Barak Obama.  His Goal once again will be to stymie the President YOU just elected, and limit him to only one term by keeping him from enacting any of his agenda so he appears to be a failure.

If instead, you vote for the challengers, it will realign the Senate. It will  take away the kingly powers of Mitch McConnell, and give it back to the Senate as a whole. You will  give the President YOU elected a chance to enact some of the legislation that will heal our country, save the environment, grow the economy, work toward justice for all, and put an end to our being outcasts in the eyes of the rest of the world

It doesn’t matter which party you are in - if you want any progress to be made in the next four years - If you want to see the programs and ideals that caused you to vote for President Biden come true - you need to vote for both of the challengers in this election.

The whole world is watching.

After Barak demurs at the behest of the prophetess Deborah, God turns Sisera (commander of King Jabin's army) over to Jael, who kills him by driving a tent peg through his skull after he enters her tent (Judges 4:17–21) near the great tree in Zaanaim near Kedesh.