Jerusalem, Even Now

Ibisam and Melila

New Verse News, a wonderful site to read good poems, published my poem yesterday. The editor wanted to make sure this story is true.

Ibtisam and Melila

Two sirens before 8 AM woke Ibtisam, a Palestinian,

and her Jewish neighbor Melila. They’ve lived

in the same Jerusalem building for decades.

In their pajamas, sleepless after the loud attack

the night before, they decided they’d clean

the building together, as something positive they

could do. And when they finished

removing spider webs and dust, they celebrated

the new cleanliness with mint tea

and homemade butter cookies.