Seven Palestinian Children
CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION WITH CARYL CHURCHILL
by Deborah S. Margolin
SEVEN PALESTINIAN CHILDREN
a play for the other
1
Don’t kiss him.
Kiss him.
Kiss him but don’t kiss him while his father is looking.
Tell him what a brave boy he is.
Tell him you love him.
Tell him how big and strong he is becoming.
Tell him his father loves him.
Tell him one day he will fight alongside his father.
Don’t tell him.
Tell him they moved into our house.
Tell him the house was full and big with doors large and small and with windows like paintings.
Show him the picture of the tree with the blossoms that smelled like beautiful women.
Show him the key to our house that’s still in his father’s pocket.
Don’t show him.
Show him his father’s gun.
Don’t.
Tell him all the people they killed will be happy.
Tell him the dead will be happier than they were before, even babies.
Tell him Death is sweet.
Don’t tell him.
Never tell him that.
Let his Uncle tell him.
Show him your face. Let him touch your hair.
Don’t let him.
Tell him to be brave. Tell him certain deaths are an honor to die.
Tell him he won’t die.
Tell him it is an honor.
Give him something to eat.
2
Help him think.
Make him laugh.
Tell him to think of words backwards while he waits with his grandma in this line.
Tell him not to pat the dog because it looks hungry. It looks sick.
It looks very sick.
Tell him to play with his rocks and his sticks.
Tell him time will play rocks and sticks with him.
Tell him he will not always have to play with rocks and sticks.
Give him some water.
Tell him not to drink too much.
Tell him not to be afraid.
Tell him to look at the ground when our time comes at the front of the line.
Tell him not to talk.
Tell him to smile and say shalom.
Help him practice: shalom! shalom! shalom haverim, shalom!
Tell him it doesn’t matter, tell him not to cry.
Don’t make him say shalom.
Don’t make him say it.
Don’t ever make him say it.
Don’t ever make him say it.
3
Tell him tents are like homes that are in bathing costumes
Tell him tents are like homes that dance!
Tell him the walls dance
Tell him it’s fun
Tell him we are having fun
The way we live
Tell him
Tell him it is free, to feel the hot wind this way, through the walls
Tell him in a real house the walls can’t dance
Don’t tell him that
Tell him we’ll go home one day
Tell him one day we’ll go home
Don’t tell him where home is
Don’t tell him who sleeps in his grandfather’s room
Tell him we are wanted everywhere – his home is everywhere
We live in a tent with walls that dance
We can’t stay still!
Tell him it’s a game
Don’t frighten him
Don’t tell him anything about home
Teach him the word in Hebrew: Bayit
Home
Home
Ani Babayit
I am Home
I am Home
I am Home
4
Tell him about
Jerusalem
Tell him they live there now
Tell him we can’t live there now
Tell him we can work there
Don’t tell him that. Tell him they don’t clean our streets
Tell him about his Grandfather’s gun
Tell him it now belongs to him
Tell him about his father
Teach him to say goodbye to his father
Teach him not to cry
Teach him crying is not for men
Don’t tell him who they are
Tell him they cannot stay here anymore
Tell him his father will send them back
Then he will bring us home
Tell him not to cry
Tell him it is a happy time
Tell him to be happy
5
Tell him we won
Tell him his big brother is a hero
Tell him his brother is a martyr
Tell him how many people his brother brought to justice
Tell him his brother lives in glory
Tell him how proud his father is
Tell him we will live in glory
Tell him they are coming with gifts for us
Tell him to be proud of his brother
Tell him he will see his brother and father in glory
Tell him they don’t understand anything except violence.
6
Don’t tell him
Don’t tell him the trouble I had to give him life
Don’t tell him
Tell him it is an honor for a woman to labor
Tell him he grew in me, that his limbs are sacred to me
Tell him his mother does not grieve for him
Tell him she is proud of him
Tell him his fingers, his lips, his smooth skin are precious to me
Don’t tell him
Don’t tell him the feeling I had to bring him to my breast
Don’t tell him what it looked like to see the shroud
Don’t tell him I didn’t know him anymore
Tell him I know him
Tell him I know where he’s gone
Tell him I know
7
Tell him
Tell him they have killed our neighbors
Tell him
Tell him the old woman and her family, all dead
Tell him the child he played with, the one who had the ball the Israeli soldier gave him
Tell him the child is dead
Tell him the ball is gone
Don’t tell him
Make something up
Tell him his friend is dead and the ball is gone
Tell him the mother who smelled like orange blossoms is dead
Tell him she won’t sing for him any more
Tell him the child’s father and brother are dead
Don’t you dare
Don’t you dare
Don’t tell him any of this
Tell him I’m tired
Tell him I’m bone tired
Tell him his father and brother are dead
Don’t tell him that
Tell him they went to get jobs
Tell him they are working
Tell him I’m too old. Tell him I don’t care any more. Tell him I’d send a rocket if I could I don’t want to care anymore. Tell him he is homeless tell him there is nothing to eat. Tell him his father and brother died hungry. Tell him the baby died. Tell him what it is for a mother to see her baby die and have nothing to feed him. Tell him the people who died in the cafes died with their bellies full. Don’t tell him. Tell him the world hates the jews and has always hated them. Tell him there’s a reason when people hate, when people hate there’s always a reason. Tell him everything happens for a reason, tell him his mother believes that everything happens for a reason, tell him his mother knows this his mother loves him tell him I do it for him he will be taken care of now
Tell him to come home
Tell him to look under the shroud
Don’t frighten him
Tell him his mother loves him
Tell him to come home
I suppose in a very small way this tries to balance out the the Israel Arab dispute but does nothing to eradicate the distortions and blatant anti semitism in Churchill’s play.
The world is STARTING to understand what radical Islam is about, something Israel has been facing for 100 years. Mind my words, Europe has seen nothing yet!!!!
the thing is that play was just a reaction to churchil’s play ,no real motive just a reaction ,you feel it is fake and empty ,totally feels like it is based on what western media tells not what what really happens there , one who aspire to defend and praise the israeli power and dignity must really go there and see the truth ,and if it realy glorious goal ,people like rachel corrie wouldnt have died while defending some palistinian houses from eradication by zionests