All Things Not Considered By Naomi Shihab Nye

All Things Not Considered
By Naomi Shihab Nye

You cannot stitch the breath
back into this boy.

A brother and sister were playing with toys
when their room exploded.

In what language
is this holy?

The Jewish boys killed in the cave
were skipping school, having an adventure.

Asel Asleh, Palestinian, age 17, believed in the field
beyond right and wrong where people came together

to talk. He kneeled to help someone else
stand up before he was shot.

If this is holy,
could we have some new religions please?

Mohammed al-Durra huddled against his father
in the street, terrified. The whole world saw him die.

An Arab father on crutches burying his 4 month girl weeps,
“I spit in the face of this ugly world.”

*

Most of us would take our children over land.
We would walk in the fields forever homeless
with our children,
huddle under cliffs, eat crumbs and berries,
to keep our children.
This is what we say from a distance
because we can say whatever we want.

*

No one was right.
Everyone was wrong.
What if they’d get together
and say that?
At a certain point
the flawed narrator wins.

People made mistakes for decades.
Everyone hurt in similar ways
at different times.
Some picked up guns because guns were given.
If they were holy it was okay to use guns.
Some picked up stones because they had them.
They had millions of them.
They might have picked up turnip roots
or olive pits.
Picking up things to throw and shoot:
at the same time people were studying history,
going to school.

*

The curl of a baby’s graceful ear.

The calm of a bucket
waiting for water.

Orchards of the old Arab men
who knew each tree.

Jewish and Arab women
standing silently together.

Generations of black.

Are people the only holy land?

All Things Not Considered truthfully portrays the thoughts and emotions refers to violence and unholy conduct that occurs within the land of Israel with many citizens around the world today. There is terror– that is known. There is hate– it is obvious. But, do we ever verbalize the fact that maybe it’s the people, and their one sided view-points that cause all of this pain; maybe it is you, me, who set this ugly tone in our world? Naomi Shihab Nye describes the circumstances of many people, of their families, and how violence can turn the world from once loved, to now despised. Life is rough, and with it comes hardships beyond what one can imagine. This poem questions the actions of many, and in whole, wonders if we are the only holy land. Could we, as a human-race be holy as one people? I believe so. I know true that peace does not come from the commercials channel of a “perfect civilization” but rather, the education and change-of-practice of one individual at a time. I enjoy this poem, and find it compelling to discuss further.