My Palestine

 by Lilas Taha

She lounged lazily under an olive tree one warm afternoon, digging her bare toes in the rich soil under her feet. Glorious vibrant hair danced in the light breeze, spreading her earthly scent in all directions. She threw back her head in rapturous song, her voice saturated with love as deep as the roots of the tree she sat under.

Come. Share my happiness!

Attuned creatures gravitated to her side, drawn in by her magical pull. They kneeled in front of her, submitting to her heavenly power. Shoulder-to-shoulder, they courted.

Give us a dance.

She yawned and pushed herself up. The bright-colored scarf draped on her shoulders slipped to her fingers. She wrapped it around her hips. She twirled and dipped to the beat of drums rhyming in her head.

Hummingbirds, butterflies, even flamingoes were jealous.

Give us a hug.

She stretched her arms wide, welcoming eager crowds.

They flocked enthusiastically, pushing against each other, toppling her down on her back and climbing over her.

She giggled. Too much love!

Ants crept up her legs, across her fertile womb, over her innocent bosom and reached her lips.

Give us a kiss.

Shaking her head, she tried to brush them off her face. They clung to her eyelashes. She tried to swat them away with her hands. They hid inside her nose.

I can’t breath!

Ravens, hawks, and eagles perched on the branches above her head watched.

Help me!

They swooped down and pecked at the ants.

A shadow of a large creature loomed over them. It approached, placed a hooved foot over each of her arms, pinning her. It swung something in the air and brought it down with brutal force.

The winged creatures flew away.

It swung again, and again, and again until nothing was left but her scarf-covered hip; one strip black, one white, one green, edges tucked under a red triangle.

My Palestine.

(Lilas Taha is the author of “Shadows of Damascus”, a contemporary novel inspired by current events, and can be reached through her website at  http://lilastaha.com)

Related articles

• 100,000 Archaeological Pieces Smuggled from Palestine Every Year
• Israeli forces kill 2 Palestinian civilians and armed group member and wound 12 civilians in Jenin refugee camp
• ‘Data: 88% of energy consumed in Palestine imported from Israel,’ Quds Press (Palestine), 20 March 2014
• Crimes and injustices in Palestine – in engaging visuals
• Interview with author Lilas Taha about her new novel “Shadows of Damascus”
• Palestine Will Be Free | ماهر زين – فلسطين سوف تتحرر
• Resisting the Israeli wall of shame

• Author
• Recent Posts

Lilas Taha

Lilas Taha is a writer at heart, an electrical engineer by training, and an advocate for domestic abuse victims by choice. She was born in Kuwait to a Syrian mother and a Palestinian father, and immigrated to the U.S. as a result of the Gulf war in 1990. She earned a master’s degree in Human Factors Engineering from the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Instead of working in the industrial field, she applied herself to the field of social safety, working with domestic abuse victims. Pursuing her true passion for creative writing, Lilas brings her professional interest and her Middle Eastern background together in her fictional novels. Email her at info@lilastaha.com. Visit her website at http://lilastaha.com

Latest posts by Lilas Taha (see all)

• From One Palestinian: Dear Bretha Von Suttner, Wake Up! - March 2, 2016
• Update to Gaza Sisters Story - September 7, 2014
• Gaza Sisters - July 22, 2014