Between Fureidis and Umm El Fahm
Fureidis is a bumpy hummus-colored blanket
flung carelessly over the hill
sprawling behind busy crossroads
two pickup trucks sleep lazily in the dust
a ginger cat hides under their shade
drivers filling up lottery columns
sit in the roadside cafe
sucking pencils and sipping turkish coffee
in between the Xs and the Os
Hassan throws the vegetables into a carton
glistening purple aubergines, sweet melon,
dates, figs, cherry tomatoes and apples from the Galilee
and a sprig of Kusbar thrown in for luck
the whole lot goes on and off the scale
in a flourish
fifty, says Hassan looking nonchalant
as he slips in a few extra cucumbers
Before the Intifada
I would drive up the winding road
and stop at Umm el Fahm
buy a bottle of cloudy olive oil
and a box of scented Rahat Lokum
with pistachio nuts
once a shining black BMW parked me in
when I looked no-one was in sight
I found him in a nearby restaurant
packed with multicolored Moslem humanity
dressed in their best while waiters scurried
between the tables bearing implausible mountains
of shishlik plates
balanced unbelievably on one arm
in the center an open coal fire glowed
and golden finjans warmed themselves beside it
Today I don’t go that way any more
for not too long ago
thirteen young angry pomegranates
burst open blood red on the highway in the hills
so nowadays too many bitter ghosts abound there
and the olives at Fureidis are almost as good
Yet in those twisting grinning streets of Fureidis
may lurk the smarting sons of spirits
for all we know
and into those sugary fruits
a bitter red pepper may find its way
GLOSSARY:
Fureidis – a Moslem town situated on a major intersection at the foot of the Carmel mountain range in the north of Israel
Umm el Fahm – a Moslem town situated in the center of Wadi Ara, a mountain pass linking the center of Israel with the north and the largest town of the “small triangle” of Arab towns and villages.
Hummus – a salad made of mashed chick peas.
Kusbar – fresh cilantro leaves.
Rahat Lokum – Turkish delight
Finjan – A small pot used for brewing coffee.
Intifada – the Palestinian national uprising against the Israeli occupation that gave birth to the terror attacks on Israel