Sharif elm usa biography sampler
Sharif S. Elmusa - Jadaliyya...
But I Heard the Drops
By Sharif S. Elmusa
My father had a reservoir
of tears.
They trickled down
unseen.
But I heard the drops
drip
from his voice
like drops
from a loosened tap.
For 30 years
I heard them.
Sharif S.
Elmusa is a scholar, poet, and writer.
Wikipedia usa biography
He is co-editor of Grape Leaves: A Century of Arab American Poetry and author of Flawed Landscape: Poems 1987–2008. Elmusa grew up in the refugee camp of Nuweimeh, near Jericho, after his family was expelled from their village in 1948.
Until 1948 his father grew figs, grapes, and oranges outside Jaffa.
Teaching Idea for “But I Heard the Drops”
Tell students: Given what you’ve learned about Palestine-Israel, think about why the poet’s father cries.
On your own, make a list of reasons a Palestinian might cry.
Sharif elm usa biography sampler
Share reasons with the class. With a partner, write a poem that may begin “For 30 years, I cried” and tell who, what, or why they cried. You may choose to use lines from the original poem