This Bread Was Born,
This Bread Was Killed
by Basman Aldirawi

Artwork: Aly S.Elsayed
@aly.selsayed

With clean hands,
he gently sifts the flour,
and adds a handful of yeast.
He pours the warm water
for the yeast particles to live,
then rolls and kneads and rolls
and kneads the dough.
He lets the soft mass rest.
With firm but gentle hands,
he rounds it into balls,
flattens them into shape,
and handles each one
delicately into the oven.
Soon, perhaps in half an hour,
the bread rolls are born fresh,
healthy and browned.
The newborn breads breathe,
yet dust chokes the air,
searing gasses penetrate
their thin, fragile crusts.
On the day of their birth, a missile,
a bakery, a scattering
of zaatar, flesh, and blood.

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This poem is from a chapbook issued today by Publishers for Palestine, a global collective of publishers. From their website:
Today we announce the launch of Poems for Palestine: Recent poems by nine Palestinian poets & actions you can take to stop genocide now. Publishers for Palestine have come together to create this free booklet of poetry, artwork, and resources for action, now available for both print and online dissemination. This chapbook is made not for resale, but please read and share as widely as you please!

I encourage you to check out this beautiful book. We must never stop talking about Palestine.