Lena Khalaf Tuffaha > Quotes

“And to the flour
add water, only
a thin stream whispering gathered
rains of a reticent winter.

And to the flour add oil, only
a glistening thread snaking through
ridges and ravines of what
sifts through your fingers,
what sinks, moist and burdened
between your palms.

And in the kneading
hinge forward, let the weight
of what you carry on your shoulders,
the luster of your language, shade
of your story press into the dough.

And to the dough bring
the signature of your fingertips, stretch
the canvas before you, summer linen
of wheat and autumn velvet of olive oil,
smooth like a map
of silence and fragrance,
of invisible terrains of memory.”
― Lena Khalaf Tuffaha

“An olive tree is like an iceberg,
he tells us,
the roots run so deep
what we can see above the ground
is nothing compared to
what lies beneath.”
― Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, Water & Salt

“Silence is the first casualty.”
― Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, Something About Living

“Before they were metaphors they were someone’s city. They were a lover’s beach, a weekly market visit, a daily drive home. Before they were victims, before we were victims, we were beloveds. Before you were a survivor, you were someone’s light.”
― Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, Water & Salt

“When so much of the music I loved I let go, yours stayed.”
― Lena Khalaf Tuffaha