We are so delighted to be posting Maryam Al Hammadi ‘s poem as part of our 43rd National Day Celebration. We hope you enjoy her poem titled “Our Dear UAE”

Desert air
It sings in my lungs
It beats against my face
It stings at my eyes
***

My eyes; they water against the onslaught of thoughts
The thoughts
They are rain
Rain, warm, warm rain
Beating against my head
***

Desert air
It stings my lungs
My eyes
It stings my face
The tiptoes of my knowledge
***

I can see it
Right now
Right here
On this day
***

The flags
They are waving
They are ruffling against the heavens
The flags
In them I see
In them I find
Me and you
Us

***
Sewn in the red
Sewn In the green
Sewn in the black and sewn in the white:
***
Strings of hope
Tendrils of hope
Hope
Sweet hope

***
A man, a man we considered a father
A great man
Zayed’s children, that’s who we are

***
A dream
A notion
Not a dream, no
More than that
Born in the midst of a desert

***
It gave us
It gave Zayed’s children
***
That which is
Irreplaceable
The gem of the desert
My UAE
Our UAE
Our dear, dear UAE
***
It gave us what is rare
Rarer than beauty rarer than knowledge
Rarer than anything
It is hope
Hope
***
In the people, hope
In their abilities, hope
In the wonders they work with their hands, hope
The wonders they work with their minds, hope
***
Zayed’s children. That’s who we are
***
As seven melted into one
Seven
Seven became one
***

Hope
It flew in the air
Waiting to be captured by minds
Caught in the words that ripple across our spines
***
Wondrous wondering wonderful UAE
Our dear, dear UAE
***

I am proud
No
I am more than that

***
I see it
I feel it
In the laughter we share over a bonfire in December
I see it
As my cousin rushes by, feet in the sand

***
As coffee is offered with smiles
With warmth
With karak
With laughter
In December
December
***
December air
December flags
December cars and December houses

***
Clad, amidst all their finery,
In red
December red
December green and December black
December white

***
The toes
The tiptoes of my knowledge
They tingle
They tingle

***
Zayed’s children, that’s who we are
The gem of our hearts
The jewel of our minds
The skyscrapers of reality
***
We have it
We have what is rare
We have hope

***

So Grab my hand
My friend
My brother
My sister and my beloved
Grab my hand

***
Because how can we not have hope
When we see the UAE?
***
A feeling
A feeling I can’t explain
It’s what I get
When I see sunshine glint on a little girl’s hair

Author: Maryam Al Hammadi