My Fast Bike!

I rode my bike,
He rode his F-16 and tank,
I sang my song,
He shot me and gained his rank.

I am the terrorist, he is the victim!
I am a martyr now and did not go to school,
He is the civilized one and I am the fool.

No matter what I say, his story is right,
Everyday he tells you “terrorism we fight.”
My tree uprooted, my house blown,
My land confiscated, my grandmothers moan…
I am imprisoned, they cut my flesh, they break my bone…

Do not kill me today I have a better option,
Let us race and see who is faster,
The one who wins will become master,
You on your tank I on the bike,
He who reaches first to the Land of Love,
Will tell the story for the coming generation.

Saed Abu-Hijleh

Saed J. Abu-Hijleh is a Palestinian human geographer, poet, and radio show host who is currently working as a lecturer of political, economic, regional, developmental, and environmental geography at An-Najah National University in Nablus, Palestine. He is the founder and director of the Center for Global Consciousness (CGC), an independent media and cultural exchange institute dedicated to building bridges between Palestine and the world.