Sketch of an olive tree
Trimmed Olive Tree - Sketch by zeevveez

 


After Robin Williams’s first radio broadcast in
Good Morning Vietnam

 

Gooood Mourning Pa-les-tiiiiiiiiiine! Hey, this is not a test, this is rocks and stones. Time
to rock it from Masaffer Yata to Jerusalem. Is that me or does that sound like a
Mahmoud Darwish poem? To Our land, Oh To Our Land, Ana Min Hinaak, Ana Min
Hinaak, the compound I must make is my homeland . . . Hey, is it a little too early for
being that loud? Too late! It’s O six hundred and they’ve already killed a hundred. What’s
the O stand for? Oh my God it’s Occupation! Speaking of Occupation, how about those
Cro-Magnons who fund it? Thank them for silky smooth sin, makes me sound like an
angel when I speak . . . Rocks and Stones! Edward and The Dreamers of yore.
Waitwaitwaitwait . . . This is the wrong speeeeed.
For those of you who are recovering from another killing, that’s going to sound just
right. Let’s put it right back down again. Let’s try it a little bit faster, see if that picks it up
a little bit. The big O is coming up on 75. We’ve already gone through 74. Those soldiers
are going
IreallylikethepowerIreallylikethepowerIreallylikethepowerIreallylikethepower. Oh, it’s still
a bad call. Hey, wait a minute. Let’s try something, Let’s play it backwards and see if it
gets better. Vovesnyeveh. This-regime-is-the-devil. Vovesnyeveh. They-are-funded-by
the-devil (Gasps!) Let us sing. Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye.
Picture a
man going on a journey beyond sight and sound. He’s left Gaza. He’s
entered . . . the
Checkpoint Zone. Aaaah! De de la de de de la de boom. All right! Hey,
what is this
Checkpoint Zone? What do they mean by clashes? Sounds like a couple of
 Occupation
forces in Jenin going “Uh, she looks like a pretty target.” Hey, whatever it is,
you must
like it because it gets you on your toes better than a strong cup of Joe. What is
 a
Checkpoint Zone? Sounds like something out of the Wizard of Oz. Ohhh nooo! Don’t
go in there! Hey ho, birthright beau, you’ve now landed in Jericho. You’re among the big
people now. You represent the IDF, the IDF. Oh no! Follow the birthright trail. Follow
the birthright trail. Oh I’ll get you my pretty. Oh my God it’s the Wicked Witch of the
East Jerusalem! It’s Ben! It’s Golda! Now where’s your I.D. You and your little to-do too!
Oh Benjamin. Ben-ja-min. What’re you doing Benjamin? Oh, Bennett, you slut! You’ve
been native to everywhere but Palestine. Stop it right now . . . hey, uh, hi, can you help me?
What’s your name? My name’s Naftali. Naftali, what town were you stationed in? When
you beamed with pride in between flying bullets aimed at Arabs? What was the weather
like out there? Was it hot? Damn hot! Real hot! Hot as it is, it’s still no comparison to
w
hat awaits. Well can you tell me what it feels like? Fool! Why it’s hot, I told you again.
Were you born on the sun? It’s damn hot! I said it’s so damn hot I saw these little trees in
the olive grove burst into flames, it’s that hot, you know what I’m talking about? What do
you think it’s going to be like tonight? It’s going to be hot and burning. That’s nice if
you’re with a lady, but it ain’t no good if you’re in the desert. Here’s a song coming your
way right now. Dami Falasteeni By Mohammed Assaf. Yes! Hey, you know what I mean.
W
hew! Was that too much?

Samah Serour Fadil

Samah Serour Fadil is an Afro-Palestinian writer, editor, and translator who resides in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal.