Rene Hanley

Artwork I made for Palestinian poet Ahmed Sarsour. You can support Ahmed by buying digital downloads of his illustrated poems on Etsy: linktr.ee/ahmedsarsour

My french ancestors are punching the air right now

Faith by Rene Hanley I have prayed to angels I have prayed to saints I have lit candles in the hope of salvation For a world that refuses to heal And yet here you stand, your only weapon being your words and a heart that refuses to kneel I want to ask you Where do you bury your fear? How do you find strength To remain compassionate and restrained Amidst the hate and fury thrust upon your people? But the look in your eyes, dark, infinite, And as determined as the threat of occupation Tells me all that I need to know I watch your silhouette break and rebuild under the pressure And wonder how the world remains unaware Of what beauty it has failed to destroy

Your hands are open, Your voice steady and soft, Calling upon a God I have previously abandoned Challenging my false presumptions, My hands are clean but trembling My heart is heavy with the guilt Of distant and ignorant safety Your faith cannot be found in colonial cathedrals, My preachers have been poisoned by greed Your faith is true An unyielding a lifeline braided in agony and discipline Even as the world crumbles around you, You pray not only for mercy But for justice, For something I cannot name But feel in the air when we speak

The monolithic strength carved into your spine Beckons me to question your motives How can you still believe when death consumes your waking life And depravity lingers in your sleep? How can you find such bittersweet understanding In a place where flesh and soil are so often one of the same? I understand now that salvation Is not given freely But resides in a person Who embodies this fateful truth That pain and faith are two sides of the same coin And there is no room for fear in between There is only acceptance of the here and now There is only room for peace

Faith by Rene Hanley
#poem #poetry #religion #existantialcrisis #freepalestine

Love

(2/2)

Poem: Staying Silent by Ahmed Sarsour in Gaza (1/2) #freepalestine #poetry

Poem: Alhamdulillah by Rene Hanley The ceasefire whispers In mixed air and smoke Thin and fragile Yet stitched in threads of golden hope, Torn skies meet and meld In fragile optimism Your face now rests Glowing with a softened light The shadows still hang But something stirs beneath them, A quiet renewal, And a tender rebellion against despair Deir al Balah, Your childhood home It's name is carved into the earth Withstanding A heart split in two One half beaten but alive, The other still cradling ash

By the mercy of God, you breathe And I, here in my stillness, Offer my gratitude in the moments between With words that spill from quiet lips Like water in a desert, Alhamdulillah For the martyrs, For the ones who bled resistance into the soil, For the defiant, For the stubborn, For you, Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah

Alhamdulillah
Poem by Rene Hanley
#gaza #poetry #poem #freepalestine

I MEAN I GUESS

I want to post poems here but the character limit is 😞

So uh... Fascism, hey?

I'll give you your pity like

👁️👄👁️

This was so fun 🥹🥰

www.youtube.com/live/RBm50Ov...

You're practically in one already 😏🧇

EXTREMELY Orwellian tbh and I'm surprised people haven't noticed that earlier

I’m gonna get my degree.

I’m gonna get my degree.

I’m gonna get my degree.

I’m gonna get my degree.

I’m gonna get my degree.

I’m gonna get my degree.

Istg you make less sense here

Sometimes being pop culturally illiterate has its perks

Jesus, the mood shift

What does this mean

In order for me
to write poetry
that isn't political
I must listen to the birds
And in order to hear the
birds
The Warplanes Must Be Silent
Marwan Makhoul
#Gaza

Palestinian poets are a whole other beast entirely. My friend has been writing his way through the genocide while stuck in Gaza, and the poetry he shares with me breaks my heart every single time. They all deserve so much better, we can't stop fighting for them so they can keep sharing their art!

Rest in power 🙏💔 killing journalists is a WAR CRIME. I don't understand how the world stays silent when almost 200 are martyred

Don't leave us behind by Ahmed Sarsour. I took an eraser and erased myself today. I liked the idea of me vanishing into thin air, away from all of the suffering we have endured! As I'm being carried away by the wind along with the leaves of olive trees, I couldn't help but think of my people! As I travelled from the river to the sea, watching over the children who cry for their parts to fit back! The backpacks are filled with red roses drawing a path for me to follow! The ashes and smoke who traveled side by side with me to warn the people to run away. How the little pieces of metal flew right into me reaching them before I did! I shook my mind out of it frightened of the thought of them reaching the home I left behind. I found myself rushing with the southern wind to get away as fast as I could! I felt helpless, I wanted to leave all of this fear and injustice behind me. On the edge of city borders I got stopped by a wall made out of shouts and screams.

The screaming voices echoing inside of my soul advising me to go back! I hear them saying: "This destination is out of your reach, You don't have enough on you to pass." Like the 35 thousand souls who are standing by my side aren't enough! They asked for the 10 thousand coins I gave along the way to the people who needed them more than I! It's funny that a year ago I was on the other side of that wall, fleeing a similar fate! As the northern wind was blowing, I was advised to retreat! Catching my ride before I got stuck for eternity in this limbo between hell and paradise! The northern wind was ready to flee, she shook my hand asking me to join her! I put my hands into hers, flying and soaring above all of the land that once was ours! As I got carried away by her I stumbled upon the rubbles of my sister's house, I looked all over their things which were buried deep down in the ground. I found a rose that had grown from the rubbles, reddish, tall with her face facing the sun wishing for me a happy return. As I waved goodbye seeking refuge in the middle area of what I have always known as home.

In between palm trees and olive trees, passing by their leaves with the breeze, I found my way to one of the windows I climbed ages ago. I remember how my mother was racing every time to catch me before I fell. Now, I see her face filled with tears, her breath is racing, sitting next to the empty bed, holding the pillow of my dreams. Her prayers of mercy upon my soul, wondering if I'm ever finding my way back! I can hear her blaming herself for letting me go! How do I undo this?! she asks! How can I rewrite this story so I can have all of my children around me?! What paths led us to escape one awful destiny to fall into a darker one?! Which sacrifice should I make?! How can I fix this?! As she inhales loss in between cries, I was sucked by the air leading me to her lungs into the blood to her heart. As my feet step into it, I can feel the warmth of her breath, the familiar smell of home. I always wondered where it came from!

I can feel her batting on her chest as if she can feel me close to her. As I embrace the rhythm of her heartbeat, I fight to open my eyes. Hearing the sound of my beating heart alarming me of my anxiety attack. As that story came to an end, I woke up to the sounds of demons creating new nightmares for us to endure. The sky was raining hell fire on those who were seeking refuge in what is a so-called safe zone! The smell of burning flesh, the screams of tortured souls. rising with the smoke to the sky banging on the heaven doors to take them before they suffocate of the injustice of this world! Among the shouts, the cries and the rubbles, there was I and those who were left on the ground wishing for these nightmares to end! So I'm asking you, are you going to take a stand? Because, if you were thinking of erasing yourself today, would you take us with you? Please, you can't leave us behind! END

DON'T LEAVE US BEHIND
By Ahmed Sarsour

#poetry
#palestine
#gaza
#freepalestine

"As that story came to an end, I woke up to the sounds of demons creating new nightmares for us to endure.

The sky was raining hell fire on those who were seeking refuge in what is a so-called safe zone!"

Same

They were gayer than caitvi PLEASE

Who else thinks that buying banned books as presents is a great idea this year?

Same actually 😭 low key incriminating tho lmao

Lovely to see you on here! 🍀