excuse me i once
we once some time-
here lived olive trees
certain olive - do you
remember them
here? i know this is
abrupt i know do you
remember before
the way they were planted
right along here,
olive trees take five
to six years to grow
and they were fully grown
by that stage, did you by chance,
i don't mean to, i mean, look,
it’s ok, you, or someone,
could have cut them
down, the war maybe, or time,
simple time, it’s ok, do you
know if the olive trees
were here once
before your - this stone gate
and the cemented front
and the palm tree, (you
brought in a palm
tree? how is that -
oh, well yes, we don’t have palm
trees i under-) when
did you come - here? excuse
me for the
questions i am simply-
yes, oh ok yes, the olives
you see, now they are in bloom
you can see them everywhere
you can see them every where,
black and green,
and the ones we had, yes
this was before the war -
but it was here i could have sworn,
what sorry? yes no the other house,
you see, they were our neighbour’s
i remember their trees, only almond
and look - sorry excuse me,
will you look please, over there -
almond. right, i remember, almonds
are better for climbing
i used to climb those when i was young the trunk
is harsh but the grip is good
and often the shape, see
the shape? tall
but curves flat
it’s wonderful
for climbing and relaxing
in, the almond
was magical for play
i played plenty inside
you know, look at it now
can you see it?
can you see how i would
have played in that
almond tree?
and the olive trees then,
where have they gone to
do you know? they were here-
it’s ok, if you, or if the war,
or someone before you just let me -
the neighbour said, theirs,
half of theirs, was gone,
invaded by sheep
someone else’s sheep
and now they have half
of their olives
and half of someone else’s
sheep, please, it’s ok,
i understand this is strange,
but: have you destroyed our olive trees?
i would like an answer.
really, have you destroyed them?
has your father destroyed them?
when you took this home which was mine?
this home which was my father’s
did you do away with the olive trees too?
excuse me. look at me. did you?
please tell me the truth. is the red tractor
yours? it’s ok if not. but did you
in the last five to six years
uproot and dispose of my
family’s olive trees?
they were here - they didn’t appear
out of nowhere
they were planted
into the ground
by my father
and we watched
them grow
in front of those very same church bells.
how they bother us all
at six and at twelve then at six again
the bells shaking the leaves and the feathers
and the loose rocks and the stone roofs
and the replanted walls and yards
rebuilt how they shake the trees
spilling loose sharp branches down
spilling red sunsets spilling wind
spilling all the things we knew
spilling the morning we
spilling the mornings we
spilled the mornings we
didn’t the ones who started
the thing the war spilling into the
next morning.
i am sorry to have disturbed you today
it seems as though
the weather is changing
please go back inside
and do keep warm