A man is described, whose name is Hamza. He is ordinary and works like the others in town. When Tuqan meets him, the land is mourning, but Hamza tells her it possesses a beating heart and will endure. He says this land is a woman. Days later, Tuqan feels the land hurting, and doesn't see Hamza. He is in his home and is sixty-five years old. It is commanded that his house be destroyed, and this is later said to be for legal reasons and to preserve order. Hamza refuses to evacuate when asked to do so, and states that his sons and himself will live and die there. He says they will die for Palestine. The authorities had given him an hour to evacuate, and an hour later the house came down. Tuqan saw Hamza the day before and he was the same as ever, securely determined.
Labor Pains
A scene is described, in which winds blow pollen through the night, in fields which are ruined and in houses. The earth shivers whilst giving birth because of the pain. Tuqan notes that the one who conquered them desires for them to believe tales about surrendering and submitting. Tuqan exclaims "O Arab Aurora!" and asks it to let the conquering usurper know about the force of childbirth, which he is not aware of himself. She wants him to know the pain the woman experiences in her body and the scars in the land bring life from the wounds.
Longing: Inspired by the Law of Gravity
Tuqan describes being home on her own, only accompanied by her own shadow. The law o the universe has disappeared and nothing is held down, but simply float. The things that she owns have gone to others, and her shadow has too. She has no family, no parents or siblings, to bring laughter to the house. There is only loneliness and grieving. The rubble from years before has weighed her down and won't allow her to see the future.
She misses the aroma of coffee, as well as the companionship of books. They console her in troubling times and in joyous ones. She misses the old clock her mother had, the photographs of the family placed on the walls. She misses also her instrument, the oud, as the strings are broken and silent. She's home alone and the curfew is hurting her, killing her. The children nearby are killed. She is afraid of what is to come, because she cannot know it. She prays to God to stop her from being a burden and to shorten her journey in life and bring it to an end.
