If I had the ear of God…

by Hassan Kaddouh

 

If I had the ear of God I would ask him to give my mother her son back…He was only nine…

 

If I had the ear of God I would ask him to give my father his olive grove back…He was just about to harvest it…

 

If I had the ear of God I would ask him to give my brother his arm back…It was small but it was one of only two he has…

 

If I had the ear of God I would ask him to give my sister her husband back…He went to work last week and never came back…

 

If I had the ear of God I would ask him to give me a road to school…They shot at us on the last one we took…

 

If I had the ear of God I would ask him for a sea of chocolate in heaven so my little sister can have all the chocolate she wants… She was only four…

 

If I had the ear of God I would ask him to give my friend his mother back…He’s only seven and cries all the time…

 

If I had the ear of God I would ask him to destroy all the camps in a hurricane so we would not have to live there any more…

 

If I had the ear of God I would ask him for a chance to keep my head held high and not die with my face in the gutter like my father…

 

If I had the ear of God I would not ask him for sympathy, only a rock and a heart…

 

West Bank / Occupied Palestine 2002