my background is Lebanese
and peaceful, I said
proud of redundancy
grandmother beirut
grandfather damascus
my father tripoli
on the clear coast, a boy
diving for sea urchins
now the tides cast
their dead blossoms
to sprawl at the roots of cedars
whose ancient tongues
weep fire in the sun
The above poem is taken from Judith Gabriel's review of D.H. Melhem's "New York Poems." The collection includes a revisitation of another tragic zone, that of her ancestral homeland (New York Times, August 15, 1976, "As Lebanon Dies.”)
The review, ‘"Embattled, Gallant, Enduring’: New York’s Mean Streets in New Melhem Edition" by Judith Gabriel, appeared in Al Jadid Magazine, Vol. 12, Nos. 54/55, Winter/Spring 2006.
This poem appeared in Al Jadid Magazine, Vol. 18, No. 66, 2012-2013.
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