It's Also Fine by Mourid Barghouti
"...It's fine to die, once, our hands crossed on our chests, empty and pale, with no scratches, no chains, no banners, and no petitions..."
#ReadPalestineWeek. Seven days of Palestinian poetry: day four.
Mourid Barghouti (1944-2021) was a Palestinian poet and writer who was born in Deir Ghassana, near Ramallah in the West Bank. Midnight and Other Poems, from which this poem is taken, was the first full-length collection of his poems to be published in the UK. It was translated from the Arabic by the acclaimed novelist (and Mourid Barghouti’s wife), Radwa Ashour.
It's Also Fine
It's also fine to die in our beds
on a clean pillow
and among our friends.
It's fine to die, once,
our hands crossed on our chests,
empty and pale,
with no scratches, no chains, no banners,
and no petitions.
It's fine to have a clean death,
with no holes in our shirts,
and no evidence in our ribs.
It's fine to die
with a white pillow, not the pavement, under our cheek,
with our hands resting in those of our loved ones,
surrounded by desperate doctors and nurses,
with nothing left but a graceful farewell,
paying no attention to history,
leaving this world as it is,
hoping that, someday, someone else
will change it. 
Just in case you missed yesterday’s poems…
Until tomorrow,
Tasnim
Thank you for sharing these, T💜🫶🏾