It may be the season of celebrations and cheer,
Wishes and family ties draw near,
Homes gleam with colors so bright,
Laughter from fireplaces, a warm delight.

This unbearable sound you hear,
Is the aircraft roaming above our heads all year,
Though yearning for lives that roam so free,
They shiver in cold, gripped by fear’s decree.

Rather than adorning homes in joyous spree,
We’re displaced, like a journey through history,
Leaving our destroyed homes lest the bombing cease,
No assurance if they stand, or find release.

As dreams of feasts on tables wane,
Hope for street-found crumbs, we regain,
Despite loss, betrayal, extermination’s strife,
Legacy endures, for we’re the people of life.

On this earth, something holds the right to survive,
A testament to resilience, for our spirits revive,
As Mahmoud Darwish once said of strife,
On this earth there is that which deserves life.

Our kids, our youth, face hardship with grace,
Smiles on their faces, dreams in their embrace,
Survival their hope, to return to home’s grace,
Attend school, end war’s relentless pace.

Ceasefire, recovery, from the genocide’s scar,
The thirst, the hunger, pain near and far,
Destruction looming beneath each star,
A simple wish echoes, free we are.

For Palestine, gaze upon destiny’s tree,
This testimony is about all of you, not only me,
On New Year’s Eve, please hear my plea,
A simple wish for freedom, let it be.