My heart fills with agony,
but I will not lose hope,
not after 21 years resisting,
enduring hardships in Gaza.

I will not let shame
seep into my heart
or twist my soul.
Falling bombs drain my heart,
but the bombardment of sad news
of helpless children dying in Gaza
falls more heavily on me.

It has happened before.
It is happening now.
It will happen again.
Again. Again.

My heart tells me that no one,
no one from outside, will stand up
for these children as they die
under the bombs and rubble,
neither the ones who would but cannot,
nor the ones who would but choose not to.
We are all alone together here.

Meanwhile, one lives lavishly,
lies in luxury and lords over
the true owners of this land.
He eats and drinks our orchards,
while we taste the poison
of his cruelty and his mockery.
We die from his happiness.

They call themselves the chosen,
yet they torture us body and soul.
They call themselves God’s chosen,
yet they show us no mercy.
They call themselves chosen people,
yet they show no humanity.
They choose to kill. They do not relent.