Day 489/Ceasefire Day 19

Refaat’s mother dreams Refaat
comes to visit her in a white gown,
wearing an elegant watch.  She
has bought a special watch
to give him, but when she sees him
she knows the watch he has
is better.  What could this mean?
The white gown?  Like the white cloth
Refaat wanted us to buy 
to make kites?  Could it be
kite-cloth?  For him to sail,
a white kite in the sky?  Cloudless
sky, sky without warplanes.
And the watch?  Does his mother
meet him, bearing a watch
that tells the time of our days,
the time we are living in,
rubble time, rebuild time? Grieving time,
time to measure our losses, time
to know how long it will take
for our souls to come back
into our bodies, weary bodies
from all these months?  And Refaat’s
watch — is it the watch
of infinite time, stretch
of eternity, vast perspective
in which Gaza is held,
where the hills will be green again,
the buildings whole again and forever,
the streets filled with people?