the river the blood
the branches the trees
the blood the duck
the oil the goose
the sea the greed
the brief
the break
the decree
the one who held the key
grief broke the tree
so the oppressor could
never break the free
Copyright © 2026 by Marwa Helal. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on July 30, 2026, by the Academy of American Poets.