The Land of Me

By Haneen Abudayyeh , My favorite Daughter

Im from my name meaning
“Longing”
From the stories my dad used to tell
Of his longing for his Home
Im from a little town
Halfway across the World
A town right next to the
Town of Jesus’ birth
Im from a man who was beaten
While in jail
From a woman who never broke the rules

Im from discriminators calling
“Our kind” names
Thinking We are all the same
Just because they are uneducated
From anti-war demonstrations
And “We Will Return” conventions
From the active role of my father in the
Arab community
From my pride in it
Im from the grape leaves and hummus
And the squash
The food my grandmother makes
(The kind that I pretend
To like)

Im from then
And from now
From San Diego
Born and raised
From my friends
And my family
Who will always be by my side
Im from then and from now
I will never change