I dream an oasis garden
enchanted by treetop jinn
I pluck ripe pomegranates off
branches, pry leather open to
collect palmfuls of little ruby
gems, glistening in the ominous
sun, a heavy yolk. I drink cool
clean water from a small pond
and when I bathe in it, time
slips off my softened skin
and I grow wings.

I fly direct to Jaffa, without fear of being detained. I greet the agent with a clumsy mouthful, hand-me-down language like a sweater I haven’t grown into yet. I walk through the streets, my intuition a donkey guiding me, until I’m standing in an orange grove, which is flourishing. There are young trees growing amidst the elders, their limbs awkward and joints knobby like newborn gazelle. The smell of citrus transports me, their sunny scent a carpet, to a time when trees never feared being maimed. I spread out on the grass and feast in the shade. Olives, figs & zaatar, tomatoes & cucumbers. A thermos of coffee. I tuck the olive pits in my pockets to plant later. I stroll through poppy fields & olive groves. The old trees tell me stories of the things they have witnessed. I scatter wildflower seeds as I go, over patches eroded. Bulldozers won’t bother them here. I bury the olive pits, prick fingertips on rose thorns, water the pits with droplets of my blood. They drink thirstily and awaken from the earth, thousand year old trees, unfolding from deep slumber, to tower over me.

I admit I only read the headline
Palestinians free birds from pet shops
At least that’s what I think it said
I could be mistaken
All of November was a blur

The article describes the migration patterns of birds
Gaza’s blockade birds soar above
refugees, concentrated, confined
“Our movement is very restricted,” says Lara,
who feels cut off from the rest of the world.
“We wish we were birds so we could move freely.”

Birds know no borders, kids learn missile and bird songs
Birds burrow in bomb-created holes
“In the past, if people saw a bird, they would shoot it.”
Now they buy birds to free them
Familiar with the plight of being trapped,
they open cages,

I imagine them, open palms

I imagine them, taking flight