Before They Came

Cracked building blocks crunch
boldly beneath my feet
covered by the broken branches
of toppled trees
with the remains of poached pray left by perching vultures
nestling in-between the grime and dust.

An old Palestinian village.
But that's not what the sign says,
parked perfectly before the rubble,
pointing proudly at what has happened.

Maybe, not so long ago, people were living here,
leading a happy yet humble lifestyle
sitting back and enjoying their slow-paced everyday life

Maybe there was once a peaceful settlement here
where children played
and listened to the stories of elders
as they themselves once did
and those before them
and even those before them.

Maybe this was once a beautiful place
marked with ancient mosques amongst ancient monuments
where people once lived off farming and quiet worship,
laughter and love

But what once was is not no more.
After the day they came.
As bombs and bulldozers
thumped and flattened the earth beneath it
before smashing its way through those mosques and monuments,
destroying homes and belongings
and discarding lives and dreams.

Maybe they pleaded and prayed to stay
Maybe they fought fearlessly

but who knows?
all is lost now.

''Israeli territory''