A poem by Maya Abu Al-Hayyat @mayaabualhayy a Beirut-born, Palestinian novelist and poet living in Jerusalem. She has a book of poems (that I just ordered from a local bookstore and cannot wait to spend some time with) called “You Can Be The Last Leaf”. I’m so grateful to this new community of creators and liberators I’ve found, who introduce me to stories and poems like these. All of this can be incredibly lonely. But then you see a post that makes you gasp, or cry and you remember that your people are out there…also hurting…also feeling lonely…and we’re connected. I first saw this poem when a good friend posted it on her IG stories. She’s an empath and a mother of 3. I can only imagine the power this poem had on her. I’m not a mother. I’m a tia (aunt in Spanish) and I honor that role in a way that transcends what western society says about a childless aunt in her late 30’s, focusing her efforts on academia and social justice. AND my heart breaks just a little every day when I think about the babies around the world who aren’t safe and warm and fed like my nieces and nephews, who I would die for. I then looked to who my friend shared the post from, and it was @fariha_roisin, who talks about World Poetry Day and the equinox and Nowruz and gushes about love and collective liberation in a way that makes me feel home. Then I jumped on Canva and typed this out to share with the rest of you. So…today I’m thankful for the power of poetry and community. I think I’ll spend this rainy northeastern Saturday morning sitting in this hope, that evidently, I haven’t fully lost.
