Ronit and Jamil: Acts II–V

by Pamela Laskin
In this verse novel based on Romeo and Juliet, Ronit and Jamil are star-crossed lovers who try to overcome geographical and familial barriers in Israel and Palestine.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: "Ronit"–Act I, Acts II–V
30 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. bounty
    the property of being richly abundant or plentiful
    You say you are water.
    "My bounty is as
    boundless as the sea,
    my love as deep."
  2. obliterate
    do away with completely, without leaving a trace
    my landscape
    obliterated
    by the other side—
    Ronit’s.
  3. retaliate
    make a counterattack and return like for like
    "They will retaliate,"
    he shouts
    and I knew
    he was talking about Israelis
  4. caliph
    the civil and religious leader of a Muslim state
    My Ommi tells me
    Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik
    built the Dome of the Rock,
    our people believe
    in its holiness
  5. reclaim
    reassert one's right or title to
    We pray
    to reclaim
    our place
    in the world.
  6. subterranean
    being or operating under the surface of the earth
    I began
    in black stones
    and subterranean waters.
  7. casualty
    someone injured or killed in a military engagement
    Finally
    after days
    of rockets
    from Gaza
    no casualties
  8. beseech
    ask for or request earnestly
    the enigmatic way
    the twigs and bark
    beseech me to enter
    despite the fact
    that I may not return.
  9. wither
    shrink, as with a loss of moisture
    my body withers in brutal summer
    so what I need is water
  10. yearn
    desire strongly or persistently
    you say you’re always parched
    and yearn for water
  11. pine
    have a desire for something or someone who is not present
    These Jerusalem streets are hot
    so I pine for a river.
  12. brittle
    having little elasticity
    My bones are brittle
    until I see you in the desert
  13. edifice
    a structure that has a roof and walls
    Let’s erect monuments
    new ones
    no more edifices of sorrow.
  14. dervish
    a Muslim monk of an order noted for fast ceremonial dancing
    Let the sheep
    dig their feet
    in the sand,
    while I have
    dervish dreams
  15. ordain
    order by virtue of superior authority; decree
    For me
    named for a river
    feeling your body in the desert
    you, the river
    ordained to flow your course
    into me.
  16. summon
    ask to come
    I summon the stars
    to guide us somewhere
    where Abba and Imah are not looking.
  17. mosaic
    design made of small pieces of colored stone or glass
    We enter the Abdel Nasser Mosque
    where mosaic is a mask
    to cover years of hurt
    years of pain
  18. revel
    take delight in
    If only to take her
    to the city of El Bireh
    and our Turkish baths,
    we revel
    in the heat
    of the water.
  19. azure
    bright blue in color, like a clear sky
    I wait for you with an azure cup.
  20. bereft
    sorrowful through loss or deprivation
    she says it’s love, but no one is in sight
    the day is done, has stolen all her light
    she’d rather read and moan and stay in bed.
    My wife she cries, her eldest is bereft
  21. grieve
    feel intense sorrow, especially due to a loss
    It makes no sense to say we are the same
    no plague upon this house, but I believe
    the message of the sword that makes us grieve
  22. auburn
    (of hair) colored a moderate reddish-brown
    She’s always been a model for the girls
    so smart in school, sews tapestries of dreams
    when Chana cries Ronit can stop her screams
    a beauty, too, with gorgeous auburn curls.
  23. temperament
    your usual mood
    I see a wanderer, a restless soul
    the blaze inside her eyes is something wild,
    and I am Chaim, protector is my role
    my temperament is anything but mild
    and I must help to make my Ronit whole.
  24. unwieldy
    lacking grace in movement or posture
    I feel the shadows over the dark hills
    unwieldy, slow, heavy and pale as lead
  25. indifferent
    marked by a lack of interest
    Jamil in his cocoon feels like a theft
    he’s clearly in torment in day and night
    indifferent to clouds as they pass by
  26. forsake
    turn away from; give up
    It’s Chaim’s girl who unearthed what my boy feels
    his body bursts, politics he forsakes
    his brain is shrouded; he doesn’t know what’s true.
  27. zeal
    excessive fervor to do something or accomplish some end
    If Chaim were my patient, I would heal
    the treachery of blood and all the rest
    ignoring prayers of Allah, I am best
    in eyes of dust and gloom, I touch with zeal.
  28. maim
    injure or wound seriously and leave permanent disfiguration
    Jamil’s words sing softly, must be heard
    voices of the maimed lie on the ground.
  29. laceration
    a torn ragged wound
    Jamil, my son, he sits in sorrow’s hole
    he’s so entitled to be birthed another day
    lacerations, deep inside, so he’s not free.
  30. embroider
    decorate with needlework
    Embroidered in my heart is this torment
    must stop this before it is too late
    behind the hills of very rocky rage.
Created on Tue Nov 15 14:38:47 EST 2022 (updated Thu Aug 17 13:40:50 EDT 2023)

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