"Palestine first": The resistance poetry of Samih al-Qasim

On today's episode, host Marcela Sulak reads the poetry of Samih al-Qasim. A Druze resident of the village of Rameh in northern Israel, al-Qasim was best known for his nationalist poetry, in which he passionately defended the rights and identity of Israel's Arab minority. Here is an excerpt from his poem "Regardless":

"We are equal—in bread, roses, love, and sin, in desiring the wheat stalk that begot a song. We are equal, the people of my land, And I love you without election, without ballot, without adjustment. I love you by consensus, without question, without argument."

This is part of a "flock poem" - a format in which a series of small poems is written around a theme. Marcela reads more of al-Qasim's flock poetry, and explains the format in more detail.

Texts: All Faces But Mine: The Poetry of Samih Al-Qasim. Translated by Abdulwahid Lu’lu’a. Syracuse University Press, 2015.

Music:Le Trio Joubran - L'Obstinée II; Majâz; Masar