Blood

“Blood” is a meditation on identity, culture, and history. Although the poem appears deceptively simple—an autobiographical account of the poet’s understanding of her heritage—it presupposes at least some knowledge of the complex history of the Middle East, specifically the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Short, direct sentences that convey emotional sincerity make up the poem, but the language is allusive and richly metaphorical.

The poem begins by describing childhood moments that define the speaker’s sense of who she is. Much of her identity is derived from her father’s stories about his heritage—as a “true Arab”, he possesses knowledge and powers than other don’t, which goes back generations.

The speaker sees her father as heroic—it is fair to say she mythologizes him. She is proud that he is a “true Arab” (Lines 1 and 6) but also proud that he identifies her as a “true Arab” (Line 15). Someone “true” is reliable, and the speaker indicates that she has never had any reason not to trust the information passed down through the generations: “True Arabs believed watermelon could heal fifty ways. / I changed these to fit the occasion” (Lines 6-7).

The phrase “true Arabs” is like an incantation that keeps the speaker safe—until the last line of the poem.