Farrah Sarafa

Vampiric Enmity

Hearts drained of red blood.

Sheaths of warmth, love, and sanctity

torn viciously like the formal contracts

      binding humanity.

Innocence bewails,

as mothers’ babies are stolen

away, like the basic right to hydrate,

      eat and dignity.

Crimson that ribboned

Israel’s pleasant Saturday,

Anchors Palestinians every day,

      in captivity

being crucified

for flukes of a few, who do fight

for freedom to breathe: move, swim, pray, and love.

     Criminality,

Alleged ‘Terrorists’

Expunged to bowels, borders

for the neighbors to hopefully absorb:

    Hostile Enmity.

Yet advanced warfare,

amid hospitals, movie sets,

vineries and fancy tourist enclaves

    won’t help. Casualty…

‘Surrender Hamas’,

Then ‘we may help but help yourselves!’

“Better just die! Dissolve into vapor…”

     Animosity.

Why? ‘We know the soil,’

as it permeates olive oil:

emerald, green like ocean meets valley,

      Originality

Propaganda shield

Meant to justify Genocide

Media warfare, misinformation

     Bloodshed; venality. 

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Farrah Sarafa is Professor of English and Cultural Studies at Pace University and Editor in Chief of Fractyll Magazine. She has been publishing poetry since 2001 in publications such as the Palestinian Chronicle, Ascent Aspirations, Litchfield Review, Diagram, Avatar, Tablets, and many more. She won 2nd place in the Marjorie Rappaport Poetry Competition and Chistell Writing Competitions. She also obtained her Master's at Columbia University under the tutelage of Edward Said.