Voice of Sanity- Rest in Peace, Mahmoud Darwish...

With #GazaUnderAttack and all the stress, anxiety and sorrow that entailed, I almost forgot about the birthday of my absolute favorite poet, politician and human, Mahmoud Darwish. What Darwish did during his lifetime and left behind for Palestine, a legacy of timeless words that will outlive him forever, was something that all of our politicians combined could not even attempt.

Dr. Sarraj in my school's graduation, 2006

I hope this doesn’t sound too melodramatic.

As a Palestinian, I always felt that Darwish was my best representative. For one, he spoke on behalf of what we, the people, thought and felt. In times of political distress and confusion (approx. 99% of the time in Palestine), nothing made sense but his poems and articles. I never expected any of our politicians to explain the situation, because more often that not, they were the key players in a "behind the scenes" plot in which we were always the losers. But Darwish was one of us, not one of them. He was the only one willing to talk to us, and he was the only one we wanted to hear.

Today, I feel lost. Political distress and confusion are the fog that fills our skies, and Darwish is not here to lead us through the mess. He is not here to explain to us the insanity that we're living in. 

Much to my dismay, I never met Mahmoud Darwish in person. But I always felt like we knew each other, that we had a strong friendship built on understanding and similar beliefs. I only knew Darwish through his words, and they, alone, were the prism through which I continue to see the world today.