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Khaled Hazem Nusseibeh

Khaled Hazem Nusseibeh is a Palestinian writer, poet and translator. He graduated from Columbia and Princeton Universities and has a scholarly interest in Islamic and Arab thought and culture. He has written three poetry collections and a book of reflections in English, has authored an Arabic book of prose and verse, and has translated two books from Arabic into English, as well as numerous studies, articles and documents. He lives with his family in Amman, Jordan, where he is the Director of the Ubada Center for Translation.

Imperialism's New Beginning

by Khaled Hazem Nusseibeh

The quest for massive oil resources is upon us
Ushering in an unknowable episode of unwise battles
Great Mesopotamia is under siege
Its progress must be within tight limits
The surge forward is the entitlement of the few
Rome is thundering with mighty roars
The children of Iraq are aching in the sordid tale
Deprived of sufficient medicine and food
And the learned classes have fled their homes
To survive and work for the others' world

The zones of the north and south are quarantined
Through no-fly zones in a bitter conflict
Imperialism's men's appetites are at a high
The age of colonialism is again to begin
The burden to civilize a weaker world
And reap the windfalls of power's triumphs
All of Zion's adversaries must be checked
And an inequitable world order safeguarded

The oppressed can but pursue suitable tracks
Learning to heed the lessons of awesome war
But will the mighty listen to reason's voice
That justice will accomplish the peace of Rome?
Or will conscience's dictates be inexorably ignored
As war's clouds hover over culture's great cradle?
And yet we do not harbor the odium of hatred
But pray that peace can still be humanity's finest hour

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