Mysteries 🌜 Happy Autumn Equinox!

Pier underside

Lines from the original composition of “A letter to an Israeli soldier,” written by Muin Bseiso and Mahmoud Darwish as they sheltered during the Israeli siege of Beirut in 1982. Courtesy of the family of Muin Bseiso.

Moments of decolonization, in relation to the recalcitrant Palestinian case, have been occasions for jubilation. We may recall the scenes from southern Lebanon in May 2000, when the Israeli military finally withdrew from the region. Israel had been in Lebanon, with the help of its right-wing Lebanese adjuncts, since 1982, when it invaded to evict the Palestine Liberation Organization from their Beirut headquarters. That summer, the Israeli military laid siege to Beirut for more than two months, bombing the densely populated city and killing thousands. While many Lebanese died, Palestinians were the principal targets of the Israeli campaign.

Among those huddled beneath the bombs were Muin Bseiso and Mahmoud Darwish, two of Palestine’s most prominent poets. They would both later produce book-length accounts of the siege, but over the course of one evening that summer, they wrote a poem as one.

A letter to an Israeli soldier, is what they named their poem. In one stanza, the two poets address the “inhabitant of the tank.”

We write to you Before a shell ignites us or ignites you Here is a message of the last besieged to the last besieged We write from a fragment you sent … to carry you From the darkness of the “ghetto” to our bodies … We write to you

Bseiso and Darwish ask:

Can one piss in a tank? Can he read in the tank? Can a person fly pigeons in a tank? Can one fuck in a tank? Or plant trees in the tank? … How long have you been in the claws of the tank? How long have you been safe?

The poem enacts an incredible reversal: the poets, themselves confined to an apartment at the mercy of missiles and mortars, taunt the soldier besieging them. The Israeli soldier is confined by the steel that is meant to protect him. They write in their letter, “You are in a dungeon, behind bars.” Many of the poem’s stanza’s end simply with the refrain Hal anta fi aman?—meaning, Are you safe?

Meanwhile, the poets have their own refrain: our siege is long.

Our siege is long We shall bake the stone We shall knead the moon We shall finish our journey Upon this beautiful day Our siege is long

From "Our Siege is Long," article by Esmat Elhalaby (published 27 October 2023)

Toph and Matty for best blind children in western weeb media

Apologies to anyone who followed for non-Sissel content I just like him a lot and he’s very fun to draw

Sleepy Azula and her day in the Royal Palace

Azula Week 2022 Day 7: Home

Nobody cares about My DnD stuff but here I am, posting about it again...

I name all of my DnD sessions, because whatever, that’s just what I do. Please enjoy (or don’t) the sessions that my players have played so far:

1) The Hook

Named because it was the hook of the story and also because the city they were in was called The Hook. Pretty simple. The Monk ripped out one guy’s throat.

2) A Serious Sea Side-Quest

They got attacked by a sea serpent. That’s it.

3) We’re All Rogues Today

They all broke into a house. The Rogue’s kinda the party-leader so there’s a lot of that.

4) Community (college)

They were supposed to go to college. They broke into more houses instead. Rogue’s idea again. The Monk suggested they just kidnap the target, but she was outvoted.

5) We’re Stopping a Coup…I Guess

It had nothing to do with why they were there but they ended up stopping it anyway. This is also the session where they split the party. Three ways. The Bard almost died. 

6) Let’s NOT Insult the All-Powerful Sea Dragon

The Rogue insulted the all-powerful Sea Dragon. In his defense, the Monk did it first, although it was accidental. He did it on purpose. This is also the session when the Ranger was introduced to the party.

7) There Was Bound to be Pirates

This is a mainly sea-based campaign, so…yeah. Pirates. And they burned down a ship, so that happened. And everyone almost died.

8) The Mimic and the Lost Child

Exactly like it sounds like. The Monk nearly beat up a 7 year old stowaway. She also got swallowed by said mimic. It was fun.

And as for the next session…I have the name but can’t say because one of my players follows me and I can’t spoil it for her. If anyone is interested, I might post about it after it’s done. If anyone isn’t interested, I might post about it anyway. 

this test of the mountain

I HAVE BEEN FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED BY YOUTUBE FISHING VIDEOS

butcherbird

tricks your ghost