AND TOGETHER WE ARE PALESTINE!
Excerpt from the novel, The Scent of Fresh Cut Grass (©2024) by Keith Salter.
Katie smiled in the direction of two young-faced women. They each wore a keffiyeh draped around the neck and across the shoulders. These two women, not much older than girls, bore a strikingly similar resemblance to one another. They stood side by side, each seemingly waiting for the other to act first. Katie signalled that it was their turn on stage, and the two young women speedily got up there. They each straightened their long skirts and checked each other over in the process, as if they had always done this. They both turned to face the audience simultaneously and spoke with high pitched voices that reminded me of an all-female Japanese metal band. Their performance contained some choreography which I will attempt to relay to the reader.
Each performer stepped forward on the diagonal plane, creating a visual gap between themselves. Then one said, My name is Gaza. Then, the other said, My name is West Bank. Then in unison, they both cried, And together we are Palestine! Then one, We want to be free but can’t be free because Zionists’ have locked our families in cages! Then the other, Our homes are being knocked down. Our crops are being destroyed. Then one, Our schools, universities, and hospitals, have been bombed into rubble! Then the other, Now people are starving to death. Disease is spreading. Won’t you help us? Then one, My name is Gaza. Then the other, My name is West Bank. Then in unison, they both cried, And together we are Palestine!
In plain text, it read like this:
My name is Gaza. My name is West Bank. And together we are Palestine! We want to be free but can’t be free because Zionists’ have locked our families in cages! Our homes are being knocked down. Our crops are being destroyed. Our schools, universities, and hospitals, have been bombed into rubble! Now people are starving to death. Disease is spreading. Won’t you help us? My name is Gaza. My name is West Bank. And together we are Palestine!
This short speech had clearly affected the audience. It was as if a spell had been cast because the mood evidently changed. I looked around the room, and a number of heads wore serious faces. One person was visibly crying. Everyone without exception clapped and I think it was the longest applause of the night so far. A man on one side of the room gave the Palestinian Twins the thumbs up, and a woman standing opposite, observing this, did the same. The pub landlord handed a cup of tea to each of the twins who then thanked him.
TOGETHER WE ARE PALESTINE!
Above: The Palestinian Twins | Keith Salter
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