we are not numbers

emerging writers from Palestine tell their stories and advocate for their human rights

‘Nothing’ kills me

Sometimes it's not bullets and missiles that kill; it's a future of nothingness.
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Painting by Basel Elmaqosui

 

In this life,
"Nothing" kills me.
My body responds to injury and creates another life in my brain.
In my brain, I have dreams that are possible: electricity, open gates.
Living in two worlds—one real, one fiction—is a regular symptom of my life.
I try to break free, but I am stuck.
It’s hard to stop a falling rock on my empty, flat road.
I freak out when “nothing” controls my world.
When nothing is all I have in my life. 

Woman in sunglasses in front of fountain.
Mentor: Pam Bailey

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