we are not numbers
emerging writers from Palestine tell their stories and advocate for their human rights
This time, everyone is besieged.
Curfew from 8 to 6.
Crowds avoided,
Gatherings cancelled.
Restaurants closed.
Hookah bars emptied.
No meetings with friends.
No dating my crush.
I feel I am losing them.
I look at the sky.
It’s blue and serene.
I don’t see warplanes.
I see no tanks, no bulldozers on the borders.
No soldiers with army uniforms.
What’s going on, then?
Once again, I realize, I am besieged.
Not by humans.
Not by soldiers or governments.
But by a pandemic
that chooses its prey
from all over the world this time.
This pandemic is democratic.
