we are not numbers

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

A courtyard with rain falling.

My stolen privilege

Laugh skinny guys; now I hate winter too.
Basman Derawi
  • Gaza Strip
  • Diaspora
A courtyard with rain falling.
Rain falling in Gaza. Photo: Basman Derawi

Overweight guys embrace the winter.
In winter, it acts like a hedge against cold.
On hot summer days, the layer of fat
turns a hellish coat of sticky sweat.

But last January, God’s Chosen Police
cast Satan out of heaven.
It grew colder than an avalanche of ice,
even on this terrorist’s chilly heart.

Laugh skinny guys; now I hate winter too.

Fat was my privilege, but it has been stolen.
I know it wasn’t healthy, but life itself
has not been healthy for me since birth.

Eman was killed last January.
Ouda was killed last January.
The merciful missiles drop cement blankets
over the bodies of my sister’s children.

January saw all my nephews off.
Now they are ghosts visiting my frigid nights.

Winter storm clouds over Gaza.
Winter stormclouds over Gaza. Photo: Basman Derawi

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