“Remember, whatever you do in life, for them you will always, but always, be an Arab. Do you understand?”

“May you get a piece of straw in your eye and a splinter in your ear and not know which one to pull out first.”

“He despised the British more every day. He couldn’t stand their haughty presence as they walked through the market in groups in their pressed uniforms, as if they were the lords of the land.”

“The sound of the killed pieces / tossed into the wooden box is like distant thunder, heralding evil.”

“Little kids in costume giggle happily / real flower children / and Margalit Tzan’ani sings / ‘The Honey in the Groove'”