John S Green
Settling In
(haibun)
The car's WAZE system flashes a warning as we enter a
high danger area. The driver, Omar, says, "We are the risk!"
He and his friend laugh at their inside joke. Jen and I sit
quietly in the backseat. Omar is Jen's boss in the Language
Center at Al Quds University located in East Jerusalem—
part of the Occupied West Bank. He and his colleague
are taking us on our first trip to Ramallah, the financial
capital of Palestine. Thirty minutes later, the navigation
screen lights up red again, and Omar remarks, "We are
entering our home town." They laugh harder this time.
Google Maps
we pass the souvenir shop
three times
Bio
John S Green, author of Whimsy Park: Children's Poems for the Whole Family, is widely published in all styles of poetry-especially Japanese form poetry. John lived in Europe before moving to the United States at age thirteen. His daughter cooks with spice, and his wife still laughs at his jokes.