Poem: Requiem for Raqqa
4th of July fireworks descend hot as acid,
call it chemical, not white phosphorus,
call it mistake, not massacre.
A doctor in East Ghouta tells me one grave holds his entire family.
(you left me)
A pharmacist sends me a voice note saying there is no more Insulin.
(you left me)
A politician in the US doesn’t know what Aleppo is.
(how could you leave me?)
In occupied Jerusalem, a young man says:
“Syria is the Nakba of our generation.”
(you broke my heart)
Hide in a cafe in Marseilles, order Turkish coffee with lots of sugar.
Go to the library in Alexandria, order lots of books about politics.
Stop reading.
Don’t watch Al Jazeera.
Don’t listen to the BBC.
Make up your own mind, says Beirut graffiti.
(but, you left me, you really left me)
It’s been six years since I slept, Syria.
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